Let's Do This Again
by Lunadragon x anime
Summary: Japan is a place Luna had always wanted to visit. To her luck (?) she not only gets to visit, but live there! With her uncle, of course. And some certain restrictions thanks to her dad, but that's all okay! At least she gets to live out the life she wants! ...Sort of... But something strange is going on in her new home of Domino. And somehow her Bracelets seems to be involved...
1. Chapter 1

" _ **Impossible! Such a creature, and for it to be summoned!"**_

" _ **We must stand and fight! It's the only way we can help the ****"**_

" _ **Enough to create an opening for him! We have to believe that he can win!"**_

She jolted awake, a gasp escaping her as the plane hit the ground. Hand to her forehead, she wiped away the beads of sweat that formed when she slept. Bright gold bands wrapped her wrists, the inscription of the eye glowing softly as she tried to calm her breathing. She didn't recognize any of the voices, so maybe it was a dream? But at the same time, it felt so _familiar_ …

The intercom rang, asking for passengers to get their luggage before they leave. The sound brought the girl into action, waiting for the other passengers in her row to get their stuff, before finally tiptoeing to get hers. Silently grateful for the one luggage, she exited the plan and into the terminal, stopping in front of the baggage claim as she looked around.

" _Luna!"_ Came a cry, Luna turning, her lips forming into a smile as she greeted her uncle. Sharing the same dark skin and dark hair, it was easy for them to recognize each other, even after a few years of separation.

" _Welcome to Japan."_ Her uncle greeted warmly in Arabic with a hug, Luna returning it with a light squeeze to his waist.

" _I'm glad to be here. Grandfather was so insistent that I came here when he was still alive."_ Luna answered, bright green eyes softening at the thought of him. A year had passed, and his death was still felt fresh in her mind.

Her uncle only nodded, sharing the look.

" _Well, now you are able to fulfil that wish."_ He reminded her, grabbing the handle of one of her baggage. "Maybe not with the reasons he wanted, but I'm glad I was able to convince your father."

Luna only smiled wryly, knowing how true the statement was.

" _Are we just going to head home uncle? Or do you have a place in mind?"_ She asked, tracing one of her bracelets. Her uncle smiled, putting down the luggage to ruffle her hair.

" _Not today sweetheart. Although, it might be a good idea since you'll have to go to school in a week."_ Her uncle announced, watching in amusement as Luna's expression went from excited to dejected. Maybe even a little betrayed at the fact that he had already registered her into a school without her knowing. _"Don't shoot the messenger kiddo, I agreed to get you into one as soon as you got here. Your father was very specific with his conditions when he agreed to bringing you here."_

Luna only sighed, scratching the back of her head in annoyance. No, she definitely did _not_ want to screw up her chance of moving to Japan. Getting her dad to even _consider_ was a chore, so Luna knew she shouldn't push it.

" _What school is it anyway?"_ The teen asked as they made their way to her uncle's car. Putting the luggage in the trunk, Luna waited as her uncle started up the car and drove out of the parking lot.

" _Domino High School in Domino City."_ Her uncle answered with a smile _. "I thought it be a good place for you. Everyone there loves games."_

Luna straightened, green eyes shining in interest, her smile growing wider.

" _Really? What kind? Do they have Duel Monsters?"_ Luna began to ask, poking her uncle with each question. Her uncle only chuckled, throwing her a wink before looking back at the road.

" _Yes, all kinds, and I hear that it's becoming a popular thing."_ He answered smoothly, nodding to Luna one of the apartment buildings.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the complex – tall, sleek and shiny – before looking to her uncle in amazement.

" _You live here, uncle?"_ Luna asked, voice hushed in awe. Her uncle nodded, looking a bit smug of himself.

" _Well, a shareholder of your father's company certainly helps things. As does owning this complex"_ He joked, moving past the subject before it got awkward _. "Anyway, your stuff came in the other day, so I moved it to your new bedroom. I opened them, but didn't unpack anything so you'll have a chance to move things around as you like. Who knows, maybe after a bit of decorating, we can go out to eat. A small walk could get you familiar with the town, after all."_

Luna became quiet, stepping out of the car when her uncle came to a parking spot. She only stared up at the complex, around her and finally at her uncle with an unreadable look on her face. Then she nodded, her expression soft as she traced her bracelets again. This time, her uncle spotted it, stopping for a moment.

" _I didn't know you still had those."_ He whispered, eyebrows raised. Luna started, moving her arms behind her back, hiding the bracelets.

" _They're…the last thing I got…before mom died…I didn't want to leave them with dad."_ Luna explained, back straight and tone almost challenging. Her uncle only shook her head, going back to ruffle Luna's hair with a soft smile.

"… _My sister would be so proud of you Luna. And of many more things to come."_ He reminded her, tilting her head up to look him in the eye. Something in those green eyes flashed, Luna looking away before nodding.

Luna sat there in her bed, staring listlessly at the ceiling. It was so _quiet_ , the peace feeling surreal after today. And really, the month leading up to her moving. Calls from her dad, reassurances from her uncle, and the walks around the hustle and bustle of town seemed like a distant memory.

" _I did it._ " Luna couldn't help but think, sitting up and spinning around. She wore of look of suppressed joy, bouncing on the heels of her feet as she reached for her bracelets as they rested on the desk next to her bed.

The Millennium Bracelets. At least, that's what her mom called them. An archeologist where it was only her love for her family beating her love for her job. The Bracelets were something that she was given to on a trip back home, from Egypt. An ancient artifact that was rumored to hold mythical powers, but only to the right person. Thinking it as a good luck charm, her mom gave it to her.

" _To think she would die two years after that…"_ Luna couldn't help but think, her heart growing heavy. She could still remember that day, eleven year's old, playing with Duel Monster cards as she awaited her mother on her expedition. But all she got in return was her mom's colleagues and information that made her blood run cold. Accident in one of the tombs, trapped and with little air.

Luna took a deep breath, shaking her head out of those memories. She had to move on, for her mom's sake, at least. Clutching the bracelets, she looked to her school uniform as it hung on the wall. A bright orange blazer with a greet skirt and bow. Not something she would usually wear, but it would have to do. A letter from Domino rested on her desk, in it containing her classes, school rules and a map. Somewhere in the other room, her uncle was sleeping softly and her dad was far away, probably on the phone with a business partner. And here she stood in her room, half decorated and waiting for her first day of school to come.

Luna smiled wide, relieved, and proud before going to bed.

" _Are you sure you're ready?"_ Her uncle asked for the fifth time since Luna woke up this morning. His niece only huffed, looking just as nervous as him for her first day of school.

" _Uncle, please, you're not making this any easier."_ Luna replied, rubbing her wrists. They felt almost naked without her bracelets on, but she didn't want to risk getting in trouble for wearing it. Best she could do was keep them in her bag and wear them after school.

Her uncle smiled back, the expression looking strained. If anything, it looked like _he_ was the one experiencing his first day at a new school.

" _Right, sorry."_ Her uncle replied, looking back on the road, the two perking up at the sight of Domino High School. Pulling up next to the gates, Luna looked at her uncle.

" _Ok, you sure you have everything? Schedule? Bracelets? Your phone? Textbooks? Headphones? You know, if anything you can always text me- "_ Her uncle began to ramble, Luna snorting, moving to kiss him on the cheek.

" _Thanks uncle. I'll call you to pick me up."_ Luna assured, her uncle sighing in resignation, giving her a thumbs up in good luck.

Watching his car pull away, Luna looked up at Domino High in trepidation, clutching the handles of her bag. With a deep breath, she took her first step into the gates.

"Class, listen up." Luna heard the teacher say from outside the classroom, swaying her arms slightly as the teacher announced a new student. Immediately, there was gossip, the teacher having to quiet them down before calling for Luna to come in.

Sliding the door open and closing it behind her, Luna walked up to the teacher's desk, taking the chalk to write her name on the board. Turning she looked at the class, fiddling with the end of her ponytail.

" _A foreigner!"_

" _Her last name is Japanese though…"_

" _Mixed, then…"_

" _What dark skin!"_

" _Pretty..."_

"Introduce yourself." The teacher prompted, ignoring the class as Luna froze.

" _Hel-"_ She stopped, silently cursing herself for speaking Arabic. _"Japanese Luna, geez."_

"Hi…my name is Luna Tsukino. I flew in from America a week ago. I hope we all get along." She introduced, bowing. Straightening, she looked to her teacher who nodded, looking over his class roster to choose where she would sit.

"Ah, here we go. There's a free seat next to Yugi Mutou." The man said, pointing to a kid. Luna's eyebrows shot up, wondering how she didn't notice him earlier. How couldn't she when his hair was all spikey and tri-colored. The kid, Yugi, jumped when his name was called, nervously waving to her as he gestured to the seat to the right of him.

Walking over, Luna smiled at Yugi in thanks, the teen perking up and returning the smile with his own. And with that, class started.

As soon as the bell rang, Luna found herself crowded by a bunch of her classmates, all asking questions.

"You're from America?"

"You're so pretty! Did you get it from your mom or dad?"

"It didn't _sound_ like English when you first spoke..."

"What do you like to do?"

Luna only stammered, trying to find a way out. She wasn't in the mood to handle all these people at once, but they only seemed to increase the more she stalled.

"Uh, yes, my mom, and it wasn't, and I like games…" She answered quickly, making a hurried excuse to go to the bathroom. Once the mob was out of sight, she sighed.  
"Jesus, way to make a girl feel welcomed."

"Do you really like games?" Someone asked from beside her, Luna spinning around in shock, only to see it was that Yugi kid.

"Oh…yeah. Yeah, I do." Luna answered honestly, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "Weird, huh? I'm always being told that I'm too old for games, but…"

Yugi perked up, nodding in agreement.

"They're a lot of fun, aren't they? Especially challenging ones." Yugi stated, his eyes glowing in excitement. Luna shared the enthusiasm with a nod.

"Tsukino-san, right? I have a bunch of games with me, if you want to try. We can play them on the roof, or something." He offered, gesturing to their classroom. Luna felt something warm in her chest, and her shoulders slumped in relief.

"Luna is fine, Mutou-san. And I would love too." She answered honestly, Yugi breaking out into a wide grin.

" _Someone seems happy."_ Her uncle noted when he picked Luna up. It was hard not to when she had a wide grin. Luna only stuck her tongue out, her uncle copying it teasingly as he drove the two of them home. _"What happened?"_

" _Made a new friend uncle."_ Luna answered, giggling when her uncle's eyes grew wide. Seeing them soften, her uncle took one hand off the wheel and ruffled her hair.

" _A good omen, if I ever heard one."_

* * *

 _ **What do you mean its been two years since the last time I updated what**_

 **I changed the story a lot from last time, but in a way it's still the same. I'm planning on creating an AO3 account to cross publish this for the sake of Yugioh. I know the italics can be a bit confusing, but I didn't want to risk using Google Translate since it sucks ass. So for now, I'll tell you guys when she's speaking in Arabic or English. Anyways, see you guys next time!**


	2. Chapter 2 Furious Battle: Yami no Game

The week went by quickly for Luna, which really was surprising. Luna had expected it to be slow, and taxing, considering how she was still getting used to moving. Before she came, she had practiced hard in her grandfather's language, still having trouble in reading the kanji, or even understanding some phrases. There was also the constant thought of her failing her end of the deal with her father, the one thing letting her come to Japan in the first place.

But when she arrived it was different. Her uncle was patient and welcoming, the two of them making frequent trips around the city (as frequent as her uncle can when he's not working). Even catching up in _school_ wasn't that hard, despite the workload. Yugi was kind, maybe a bit timid, but great at games. And earlier that week, Yugi had introduced him to Anzu, a pretty and strong-willed girl who had welcomed Luna without even a blink.

It was _amazing_. It _felt_ amazing. A freedom Luna seldom had a chance to experience with her dad. It was always a lecture, work, scolding, work, and repeat. For Luna, Domino began to feel like home.

* * *

"What you got there Yugi-kun?" Luna asked, moving her seat next to his desk. Waving away the offer to play basketball with the others, she looked to her friend. Yugi only smiled nervously, reaching into his bag to pull out a golden box. "Ah yes, the mysterious puzzle."

"You said you wanted to know the answer to the riddle, Luna-chan." Yugi reminded, Luna rolling her eyes in a teasing way.

"Something you see but have never seen before!" Luna recited, hearing that riddle enough times to make her ears bleed. "I can't wait."

Yugi nodded in agreement, reaching out to open the box in anticipation, until it was snatched out of the way. Yugi and Luna gasped, the two looking up in their seats to see that Jounouchi Katsuya, one of their classmates, had taken it.

"Geez, look at you two, whispering to yourselves, talking about a stuff I don't get." Jounouchi commented snidely.

"Wait, please." Yugi begged timidly, reaching for it, only to have Jounouchi raise it up in the air, out of his reach. "Please give it back…"

"Why does it matter to you anyway Jounouchi-san." Luna asked bitingly. "It's none of your business, so leave us alone."

That earned a glare from the taller teen, throwing up the box, sliding over a desk to the door and catching the box in his hand.

"You know, that part of you really pisses me off. Treasuring a stupid box, if you're a man and you want this box, then come at me full force!" Jounouchi taunted, the tip of Luna's lips forming into a frown. Looking ready to stand up, she spotted Yugi getting ready to say something, quickly covering her ears.

"I HATE FIGHTING AND VIOLENCE." Yugi yelled, Jounouchi covered his ears in annoyance, Yugi breathing quickly.

"Give back the box, Jounouchi-san." Luna ordered, eyes narrowed as she stood up, facing him. Jounouchi snorted, holding the box up tauntingly.

"Or else what?" He sneered, Luna clucking her tongue, hearing Yugi telling her to stop. Raising her fists, she threw caution to the wind, until the door opened up and another person joined the fray.

"That's enough you two! Jounouchi, give back the box!" Came the order, the three of them turning to see Honda Hiroto stare them down. Luna only raised her eyebrow at the band pinned around his arm, lowering her fists with a huff.

"In the meanwhile, he could also stop being a huge ass." She said snarkily, ignoring the glare Jounouchi gave her. Finally, the blond turned to Honda, looking unimpressed.

"Oh look, first-year student president reject and clean up member, Honda-kun" Jounouchi remarked, tone dripping with sarcasm. Luna was surprised at the length of such a title. Yugi only tensed, worried about another fight breaking out.

"It's not _clean-up_ member," Honda growled. "IT'S _BEAUTIFICATION_ CLUB MEMBER!"

Not prepared for the yell, all three of them winced.

"Your voice is loud too." Jounouchi retorted. Despite herself, Luna agreed, wondering what was the use of Honda yelling the statement. Jounouchi, ignoring Honda's speech, turned to Yugi. "By the way, what's in the box?"

"None of your business." Luna muttered, too low for either of them to hear.

"You can look." Yugi relented, as she shot him an incredulous look. _Really_? "Just don't lose it. It's _extremely_ important to me." He continued.

"You _sure_ Yugi-kun?" Luna asked, eyeing Jounouchi distrustfully. "I don't think that's a good idea…"

"Don't worry Luna-chan." Yugi smiled, Luna nodding, unsure. To her relief, Jounouchi only took a minute to look inside the box before (to her renewed anger) throwing it in the air.

"How boring…" Jounouchi stated dryly, Luna huffing indignantly, stepping forward. Before anything could be done, however, Anzu grabbed the box, shooting Jounouchi an icy glare. She walked over to the other two, facing Jounouchi boldly.

"If it's so boring then give it back!" She scolded, Luna giving her a thumbs up. "More importantly, bullying someone weaker than yourself…you're the boring one!"

"I'm not bullying anyone!" Jounouchi argued. Luna scoffing. "I'm just trying to make Yugi into a-"

"Jounouchi, if that was the case you wouldn't be messing with his stuff!" Luna retorted, Jounouchi huffing in disbelief. Luna exclaimed in anger. "You're such a -!"

"Finish that sentence, I dare you!" Jounouchi interrupted, glaring at her.

"Enough!" Anzu yelled, putting a stop to Luna's retort, everyone pausing at the gasp at the door. The blue hair and yellow bow coined the owner as Nosaka Miho, their class idol. "Oh sorry Miho!" Anzu apologized. "It wasn't directed at you!"

"I was surprised!" Miho gasped, a hand over her chest. Her expression turned downcast as her tone dropped. "There's so many people that I ended up not getting lunch…"

To Luna's surprise, Honda offered to get Miho lunch. To her _displeasure_ , Jounouchi quickly joined him, the two running out of the room with astonishing speed.

"When I see him again…" Luna muttered as Yugi tried to placate her.

"He didn't mean anything bad by it." Yugi assured, flushing when Luna raised her eyebrow. "Really Luna-chan!"

"Whatever you say, Yugi-kun." Luna replied, but she fixed Yugi with a worried stare. "But you _can_ afford to stick up for yourself every now and then. Fighting and violence got nothing to do with that."

Yugi nodded a bit sheepishly at that before Anzu got his attention.

"So what is this anyway?" She asked, holding up the box. Luna saw Yugi's eyes light up at the mention as he recited the riddle to Anzu as they crowded around his desk. Luna leaned in as he opened it, revealing several little pieces, almost like a 3D jigsaw puzzle.

"Wow…" Luna gasped, taking a piece to inspect it closer. It seemed to glitter brightly in her hand, Luna feeling a welcoming sort of warmth emanating from it, taking her off guard. She almost didn't catch Anzu and Yugi's conversation about the puzzle before she set the piece back in its box.

Everyone now and then though, Luna could still feel the warmth in the palm of her hand.

* * *

"H-Hey, Luna-chan…"

Luna looked up from her bag, having double checked that she had everything when Yugi had called her name. He seemed to be nervous, his feet shuffling and his eyes downcast, making Luna worried.

"Yeah?" She asked, curious. "What's up?"

"W-Well, I was wondering if you wanted to check out my Grandpa's Game Shop?" Yugi asked hesitantly, his face becoming red as he hurried on. "I-I know you like games too! And when I mentioned it to Grandpa, he said it was okay for me to invite you! O-Only if you want to though! The sh-shop is a bit small, b-but I promise that the games are all really interesting!"

Luna stared at him in surprise for a moment, before blurting out "Yeah! S-Sure I'd love to come by! Let me call my uncle first, ok?"

Yugi's hesitant expression broke off into a huge smile as Luna took out her cellphone.

" _Luna_ _? Everything alright?"_

"Fine, everything's fine!" Lunareplied, a bit more enthusiastic than she meant to. "Is it alright if I stay out a bit late? Yugi-kun asked me to come by the Game Shop."

" _Oh!"_ Her uncle replied, sounding both surprised and pleased. " _Why, of course you can! Just be sure to tell me the address so I know where to pick you up when you're done! Have fun Luna!"_

Luna nodded, mirroring Yugi's wide grin as they made their way to the school entrance to switch out their shoes. She didn't want to admit it, but this would have been her first time going over to a friend's place. The fact that she was even _invited_ had made her so surprised, she was at a loss for words.

"Did you hear about the new Capsule Monster that's been circulating around?" Yugi asked, Luna nodding as she tied up her dark hair.

"Yeah, it's gotten really popular lately." She replied. "My uncle told me that when he was on a lunch break, he saw a game store get lined up with kids at one of those captcha machines. I've always wanted to try it out."

"My grandpa tells me that there's some people that paid thousands for a rare Capsule Monster." Yugi replied in a tone of awe, Luna's eyes widening.

" _What_?! That's –" Luna began, before noticing a shadow drape over them. She and Yugi froze in surprise, turning around in perfect sync to see a large and bulking man staring down at them. Luna stared at him for a moment, trying to put the face to a name.

"U-Ushio-san." Yugi whispered frightfully, almost trembling. Luna gaped. _This_ was the head of the Public Morale Committee? She heard that the group was strict in enforcing the rules, but she had always imagined the leader to be…kinder looking. The fact that she was a head shorter than him didn't help, Luna feeling like she was a small animal in front of a predator.

"Mutuo Yugi." Ushio said in a deep voice that made Luna jump. She forced herself to stare up at Ushio, refusing to cower under his stare. _We're both students_ , she told herself. _He can't do anything to us_.

"Y-Yes?" Yugi replied squeakily, Luna shifting so she could place a comforting hand on his shoulder. It seemed to help, Luna seeing that his trembling seemed to stop, but Yugi's eyes were darting around as if trying to look for an escape route.

"I have heard some talk that you have been bullied lately." Ushio stated calmly, peering down at them with a stare that Luna couldn't place. Yugi froze, looking stupefied.

"N-Nothing like that has happened to me!" Yugi said. Luna steeled herself as Ushio's gaze turned to her for confirmation. Luna thought of Jounouchi for a moment, from the way he had picked on Yugi, messed with his things and even rough housed him a bit. But there was something off in the way Ushio had singled Yugi out, when Luna could think of other incidents she heard of around the school.

"You must be mistaken." Luna finally answered, trying to pull of the emotionless mask her father liked to wear in business meetings. "Yugi hasn't been harassed by any student."

Ushio's eyes narrowed, Luna meeting it without flinching before his gaze turned to Yugi.

"I wouldn't worry, Yugi-kun." Ushio said, suddenly warm and comforting, but Luna felt disgusted and wary. Yugi seemed to share the sentiment as he gave Luna a 'help me' sort of look. "You won't be trouble by people like that again. I'll be your bodyguard." His pronouncement was added with a clap on Yugi's back that made Luna flinch at the sound.

"N-No." Yugi stammered, backing away. "I don't think I need something like that!"

Luna cut when she saw Ushio's mouth open, pulling at Yugi's wrist.

"Come on, Yugi-kun, you said I get to see the Game Shop today." She reminded in a bit too loud voice, ignoring the cutting look she got as she pulled Yugi away. Yugi looked relieved to be out of Ushio's gaze, Luna sighing in relief when the school got out of their view.

"Just what the heck was that?" Yugi muttered, Luna shrugging. A frown played at her lips as they walked to the Game Shop in a sullen silence.

* * *

"Grandpa, I'm home…" Yugi called out as he opened the shop door, Luna peeking in from behind him. Her eyes lit up when she spotted the rows of items, ranging from board games, to card games, and she was surprised to see figurines.

"Oh, hey Yugi Luna-chan, you're here too!"

Luna blinked in surprise as Anzu came walking up with a smile.

"Anzu!" She exclaimed in unison with Yugi, Anzu welcoming them in. Luna regarded her in a bit of confusion. How did she get here before they did?

"Geez, you guys took so long to get here!" Anzu teased with a wink. "I arrived half an hour ago, hoping to surprise you Yugi. If I knew you were going to invite company I would have just tagged along!"

"Hehe, sorry Anzu." Yugi replied with a blush. "I was a bit excited about showing Luna-chan the shop since she likes games so much."

"Well, glad to know my grandson has gotten himself such cute and caring friends!" Came a chortle as a short, older man with gray hair underneath a bandanna came walking in from the staircase behind the counter. Luna bowed as she introduced herself, Yugi's Grandpa nodding at her genially. "Nice to meet you Luna-chan. Yugi's told me so much about you!"

"Grandpa!" Yugi hissed with a bright flush, Luna grinning.

"Talking about me behind your back, Yugi-kun?" She teased, unable to hold in her giggles when Yugi began to stammer. Anzu snickered, patting Luna on the back before she took pity on Yugi's slowly worsening stutters.

"She's kidding Yugi." Anzu said assuring. Yugi seemed to relax when Luna nodded in confirmation. "She knows your not the type to talk about someone like that."

"Besides, it's not like I don't do the same with my uncle." Luna added with a slight smile. "He won't admit it, but I think he wants to get to know my new friends in Japan."

"O-Oh!" Yugi said in surprise, looking delighted. "W-Well maybe we can go to your house some time?" He asked nervously. Luna felt her grin grow wider.

"Yeah, that be great! Anzu-chan, what do you think?" Luna asked, noticing Anzu give Yugi a soft smile before nodding along.

"I would love to meet your uncle some time Luna-chan. Besides, it's nice to finally have some girl friends." Anzu said with a faux sigh of exasperation. Yugi gave her a sheepish smile, but didn't argue or take any offense to it.

"Oh, by the way Yugi." His grandpa spoke up. "Anzu-chan tells me that you haven't given up on that Millennium Puzzle."

"Why would I?" Yugi asked in a challenging voice. His grandpa looked at him gravely.

"That puzzle is beyond human knowledge, you can't solve it." He said, Luna looking a bit surprised. "Not to mention the history behind it."

Intrigued, the three teens leaned in closer as Grandpa Mutou's voice became a touch lower.

"An excavation team had found that Millennium Puzzle." He said slowly. "They brought the Pharaoh's Box from the giant valley…"

"They Valley of the Kings?" Luna asked, familiar with the title, Grandpa Mutou nodding.

"However, everyone on that team is now dead." He said with a morbid sort of grin. "The last person whispered this before he took his last breath: Beware…the Yami no Game."

Luna saw Anzu shiver in fright as her own hand went to the Bracelet on her wrist. The gold glinted from underneath the sleeves, but Luna couldn't help but think of how her own mother's life had ended shortly after these were given to her. Not to mention, the bad luck that seemed to come afterwards…but was that really it? Her mother liked to warn her about things like curses and myths, saying that while they were there to be cautious, it doesn't always mean the worst for people. _Sometimes_ , her mother liked to say, _it means that you need to face such troubles head on with your head up high._

"Yugi…this puzzle sounds really dangerous." Anzu whispered but Yugi only seemed to be more excited at the prospect.

"I like the sound of it. Yami no Game." Yugi repeated reverently, holding up the box in awe. Luna blinked, noticing some writing around the box, peering up at them curiously. She could recognize some of the symbols from the research notes that she had kept from her mother. Those loose pieces of paper were locked up tightly in that box that had orginally withheld the Bracelets.

"The one…." Luna translated slowly, not noticing everyone pause as she tried getting a better look at the writing. "The one who solves me…will…receive my dark…knowledge and power." Luna blinked, looking at Yugi. "Ok, that _is_ a bit omnious."

"You can read hieroglyphs?" Grandpa Mutou said in surprise, Luna making a 'so-so' gesture with her hands.

"My mom was an archaeologist." She replied. "Specialized in old artifacts from Egypt and the like. She it was a way for her to be connected with the past and tell the story of it to the present."

"That's right, your mixed right?" Anzu realized, Grandpa Mutou looking even more surprised. Luna nodded with a shrug, twirling the ends of her hair around her finger. "You even spoke it when you first got here."

"Yeah…my mom was Egyptian and went and got herself married to and Japanese-American man." Luna answered a bit hesitantly. "Although, I guess you wouldn't tell by the way I look."

"Hmm…what did you say your full name was again?" Grandpa Mutou asked.

"Luna Tsukino." She replied, stilling a bit as he narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself. Luna made the mistake of catching Yugi's eye, who seemed a bit concerned about how she was acting. That seemed to spur him into action as he held up his box.

"But you heard Luna-chan, right Grandpa?" Yugi said, catching his attention. "Dark knowledge and power, it _must_ mean my wish will come true. Now I _have_ to finish it!"

Grandpa Mutou looked a bit annoyed as he began to chase his grandson. "Now wait a minute! Return that treasure!"

"No!" Yugi shot back. Luna snorted as they began to do this weird game of keep away, Anzu looking fondly exasperated at Yugi as he and his grandpa ran around the shop, the box glinting with each sharp movement.

"Well, if that's what Yugi-kun wants, I say go for it!" Luna cheered, thinking privately of her own Bracelets. They were still a special memento to her, and she liked to belief that they were giving her good fortune, despite the little setbacks.

Anzu sighed, looking a bit conflicted before her friendship with Yugi won over her worry. "Yeah, Yugi! I'll cheer you on too!"

The two girls burst into laughter as Grandpa Mutou shot them dirty looks, Yugi looked to have an even lighter step than before, cheering loudly.

* * *

While Anzu had to leave a bit early (mumbling something about cleaning her house or something that made no sense to Luna), Luna got to stay well until nightfall at the Game Shop. They had spent most of the time looking at the new games that arrived at the shop 'beta-testing' them for Yugi's Grandpa. Luna had even gotten into a small discussion about Duel Monsters with Yugi. He had shown some of the packs to her as he explained the game when Luna had told him that it popular in America.

"There was even some news about it on TV." Luna was telling him with a grin, Yugi looking amazed. "It was about some couples and parents being worried about the game being too violent or that some of the monsters looked to scary for kids or whatever."

Yugi giggled.

"I even have a deck at home." Luna admitted, Yugi giving a hushed sort of awe.

"I have a small deck, about twenty cards." Yugi replied, getting up from the floor of his room to search his desk. "Ah, here…" He said, handing the cards to Luna. She held them carefully, looking at the cards with an amazed expression.

"You have Summoned Skull?" Luna gasped, eyes wide. "Yugi, that's _ridiculously_ rare! I'd ask for it, but he wouldn't really fit my deck… Hmm, I do have some cards I don't use if you want to add them to your deck."

"We should have a duel sometime." Yugi grinned, looking excited at the prospect. "What kind of cards do you use?"

"My mom had kind of influenced me." Luna admitted sheepishly. "So it's full of monsters tied in with Egyptian mythology. It took me a while to come up with a strategy around them since well…I was more interested in collecting them." _Especially after she died._

Yugi gaped openly before breaking into a wide grin.

"Now we _have_ to duel when we get the chance!" He whispered, jumping up. "That's so cool, Luna-chan!"

Luna grinned, feeling a touch proud. She was about to reply when she noticed how dark it was outside the window.

"Oh shit, has it gotten that _late_?" Luna realized, Yugi blinking in surprise as he looked to the clock. Almost nine.

"Oh! Sorry about that Luna-chan!" Yugi said in guilt, Luna standing up to give Yugi a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder.

"No, it's fine Yugi! I had a lot of fun, really." She replied, seeing Yugi's eyes brighten. "Your Grandpa's shop is really cool! And we haven't even gotten through all of the games here!"

"S-So you want to come back some time?" Yugi asked, his shoulders a bit stiff as if expecting a different answer.

"Of course! My uncle won't mind." Luna said, before adding. "Well, as long as he knows when I'll be coming home. That reminds me, let me call him." She stepped out, shooting Yugi a smile, one that her friend returned with a look of relief in his eyes.

" _Hey, you still alive?"_ Her uncle asked in Arabic, Luna chuckling.

" _Alive and well. Sorry about the time, I didn't realize it got so late."_ Luna replied somewhat guiltly. _"I promise I won't do that again. I'm still at Yugi's though, we didn't really go anywhere…"_

" _You're not in trouble Luna."_ Her uncle said soothingly, Luna feeling herself relax. _"Although I do have to ask that you warn a man next time."_ Luna snorted before she told her uncle the address, her uncle promising to pick her up in fifteen minutes. When she re-entered Yugi's room she was a bit surprised to see him working on the Puzzle.

"How's it going?" She asked quietly sitting at the edge of his bed beside the desk, Yugi giving her a slight pout.

"It's a bit confusing…I've never worked with a 3D puzzle like this." He replied before casting a glance at Luna. "Was your uncle angry?

"No, I think he was a bit proud actually." Luna said, seeing Yugi look a bit surprise. "Well…I've ever really lost the time with a friend before…or went to a friend's house either…" Luna paused, seeing Yugi look astonished at that. "I know, it's weird, but –"

"N-No!" Yugi stammered, raising his hands in surrender as he said his next words in a flurry. "No i-it's not w-weird! I'm the same way! I mean…well…Anzu had been my friend since elementary…but this is the first time I've made friends in high school! Or even brought someone over to my house…" He flushed deeply at that, looking supremely embarrassed.

Luna found herself a bit relieved before being guilty by said relief. She leaned in, dropping her voice in a whisper. "I won't tell if you don't." She said conspiratorially, cracking a smile out of Yugi.

"It's just surprising…you get along with the class better than I do…" Yugi said a bit enviously. "It's hard for me to even look at another one of our classmates."

Luna gave a strained laugh, scratching her head.

"Getting along with people really isn't the same as being _friends_ with them." Luna said slowly, seeing Yugi look surprise. "I'm a bit jealous of you actually. I mean, you're open about the things you like, I mean. Despite what people say. It was a bit hard for me to do it back at home when…" Luna trailed off, not meaning to admit so much.

"When what?" Yugi prodded innocently. Luna mulled it over, squirming a bit.

"I was enrolled in a private school. My classmates were all rich kids with some big names." Luna said slowly, rubbing her arm. "I really didn't get along with them and that kind of caused some trouble, but…well, I had to learnt that there are some things better kept to yourself or else I'd get into trouble."

"Why stay then?" Yugi asked in confusion. "I mean, I've seen you get into some arguments with Jounouchi and stuff, but if it was that big then why didn't you transfer?"

Luna couldn't bring herself to answer, not meeting Yugi's eyes as she traced the Eye on her Bracelets. What was she supposed to say? She stayed as to not disappoint her dad? Yeah, _that_ didn't sound pathetic at all.

"Well, I did in the end, so that's all that matters." Luna found herself saying. They fell into an uncomfortable silence before she apologized. "Sorry."

"You don't have to push yourself." Yugi murmured. "If you're not comfortable with telling, you don't have to right now. Besides, at least you have a friend now, right?"

Luna felt her lips twitch, nodding gratefully. Yugi looked relieved as he turned back to his puzzle. She watched him mess around with the pieces for a moment before one dropped a bit behind his chair. When she reached down to grab it, Luna gave a slight gasp when her Bracelets glowed, making the piece light up. She thought she saw a hand graze hers, Luna looking up to see a silhouette that looked like Yugi's but with their eyes narrower and their blond hair raised at the tips.

"Luna?"

She started, the image fading when she saw Yugi looking at her in bemusement.

"Uh…here." Luna said, handing the fallen piece to Yugi, who spotted her Bracelets peeking under her uniform.

"Woah…what's that?" He asked, Luna pulling her sleeves back.

"My bracelets." Luna answered, still a bit shocked by what she had seen. "My mom gave them to me. A souvenir or something from the last excavation she had…although I think she had to fight a lot to get it." In fact, Luna was certain it wasn't allowed, but her mom had practically thrown them at her when she got back from her trip.

"…Hey, they have the same eye like on the box." Yugi realized, Luna staring at him, feeling a bit stupid all of a sudden. She hadn't realized it before.

"Oh man, wait, you mean to tell me they're from the same set?" Luna groaned, her mom having mentioning it when she gave Luna the Bracelets.

"Coincidence?" Yugi asked, although he didn't sound to belief it."

"Don't think so." Luna frowned. "The Millennium Items are rare, from what my mom told me…then again, your Puzzle is rarer than my Bracelets."

"Really?" Yugi said in surprise. Luna nodded.

"My mom said that it was practically lost to time, or something." Luna replied. "Although, I guess with it being it pieces, no one really knew what it looked like. Hence the name."

"Well, hopefully, we'll find out soon enough." Yugi said with a grin, Luna laughing. A few minutes of silence later, there was the beeping of a car.

"Thanks for having me over Yugi." Luna said, standing up and grabbing her school bag. Yugi had done the polite thing and lead her to the door, waving at her uncle a bit hesitantly before grinning at Luna.

"See you tomorrow!" He replied. Luna gave him a thumbs up before she got in the car, waving to her friend happily, the image of the specter far from her mind.

* * *

Luna yawned as lunch finally rolled around, closing her notebook with some relish. Math, her fated enemy. How it liked to taunt her as the teachers threw new terms and rules and other weird variables that she detested, knowing that it only meant studying harder if she wanted to keep her grades up.

"I'm gonna go back in time and fight the person who came up with math." Luna groaned to Yugi, who laughed. "And then I'm going to fight the mathematicians that had to add more rules and formulas to it. And then I'm gonna fight the school who decided it was important to teach us these rules and formulas."

"That's a lot of people." Yugi teased. "You sure you can do it?"

"Watch me Yugi-kun." Luna promised tiredly. "Once my head clears up and I get some rest, those guys won't know what hit them." Yugi's reply was broken off by a yawn.

"Just how long did you stay up on the Puzzle?" Luna asked, knowing that be the only thing that would steal any sleeping time from him.

"Uh…not _that_ late." Yugi replied, although he sounded unsure. "After you left, I continued to try and solve it for…" Yugi blinked, his eyebrows furrowing as he raised his hands. "Two…? Three…? Wait no, it was still night time. Maybe more around midnight…"

"Maybe that's the curse your uncle was talking about." Luna said with a chuckle. "People died because of sleep deprivation from trying to solve the puzzle."

"Hey!" Yugi said with a laugh. Their banter was interrupted when their classroom door slid open, Ushio standing in the doorway.

"Oi, Yugi." Ushio said, gesturing with his hand. "Come 'ere for a sec."

Luna blinked, not liking the idea of Yugi going alone, so she stood up too. Yugi gave her a grateful glance as she stared up at Ushio with some challenge. He only scoffed, shrugging.

"Your friend too I guess." He replied. "Who knows, she might like this too."

Luna exchanged a disturbed glance with Yugi, both of them wondering what the hell was going on. Luna's worry only increased when Ushio proceeded to bring them behind the school.

"Ushio-san, can you tell me why you wanted to see me?" Yugi finally asked, stopping. Luna could understand his desire to not want to go any farther with Ushio, especially when he smirked. He pointed to the corner, Luna peeking over it with Yugi before gasping.

Looking beaten up and bruised, breathing heavily as they leaned against the wall was Jounouchi and Honda, some blood leaking from their mouths. Surrounding them were the other members of the Public Moral committee, all of them looking sickeningly proud of themselves.

Luna saw Yugi run forward when some of the Public Moral students held him back as Ushio came up to explain that it was for his safety. Because he was Yugi's 'bodyguard'.

"Hey never agreed to that!" Luna argued fiercely. "He even said so himself!"

"A-and this is too horrible…" Yugi whispered, looking to tremble where he stood. Luna pushed the other Public Moral members away, not minding how much force she had to use as she came next to Jounouchi's and Honda's side.

"Guys, can you hear me?" She asked in worry, not wanting to aggravate their wounds. She turned to Yugi. "Try get the nurse!"

"Yugi…you…"

Luna turned back, surprised to see Jounouchi cough out some words as he glared at her and Yugi. "Both of you? What…satisfied now?"

Luna reeled back, feeling her blood run from her face.

"N-No!" Yugi gasped, stepping forward. "No, we didn't ask for any of this! J-Just wait there, I'll get the nurse so you two can get healed!"

"Oh no." Ushio said, grabbing Yugi's arm and pushing him to the other members, holding Yugi back. Luna pulled her arm away when another member tried to hold her back as well, glaring darkly at any who tried to come close. "The punishment isn't done yet!" Ushio exclaimed, his fist raised. Luna stepped in front of Jounouchi, arms crossed in front of her to take the blow. Luna hissed, feeling the impact and shuddering at the thought of Jounouchi or Honda being subjected to it.

"Some Public Moral leader you are!" Luna spat, shoving Ushio, who snarled.

"Step back from this pipsqueak. Besides, I hear you and Jounouchi got some beef." Ushio hissed, Luna standing her ground.

"Yeah and? Who I got beef with is my business!" Luna shot back. "And right now, the only person I see who needs to get their shit together is you! You have some balls saying you're out here punishing bullies and protecting the weak when you're nothing but a coward!" She gasped when she felt a blow to her torso, Luna doubling over as Ushio grabbed her ponytail and pulled at it.

"Stop it!" Yugi cried, stepping between us. Ushio scoffed, letting Luna's hair go.

"Don't tell me you're covering for them Yugi-kun?" Ushio said snidely, gesturing to Jounouchi and Honda. "This is your chance to get revenge! Go on! Punch, kick! Let out your resentments.

"I…I can't do that to my friends!" Yugi exclaimed loudly, Luna feeling a twinge of pride for Yugi as she looked to Jounouchi and Honda. Honda was still breathing quite heavily as Jounouchi stared at them in awe. Ushio only laughed mockingly, looking at Yugi in disgust.

"Friends? Something must be wrong in that head of yours! They're the bullies that exploited you!" Ushio argued, only for Yugi to shake his head vehemently.

"Jounouchi was just trying to make me into a man!" Yugi shot back, Luna placing an arm in front of Yugi when Ushio only laughed louder. She was surprised when Ushio only shrugged, motioning for his other lackeys to get moving.

"Fine, be that way then." Ushio said. "But you're still going to have to pay the bodyguard fee."

"What?!" Luna exclaimed with Yugi.

"And the girl has to pay too, for interfering. I think 200,000 yen each should do."

"Excuse me?!' Luna bristled. She was only stopped by Yugi who tugged at her arm, shooting her a terrified look. Ushio only chuckled darkly as he left, leaving the four of them in his wake.

* * *

Luna groaned a bit, rubbing her torso with a wince, deciding to come over to Yugi's again. She didn't want her uncle to notice her nursing a bruise. Especially since her and Yugi only dropped Honda and Jounouchi off at the nurses. Yugi had tried to get her to stay, but Luna had been stubborn in not wanting the nurse to know she was hurt to. She couldn't risk it being on record.

Still, she was grateful for the ice pack Yugi gave her. Luna pressed it underneath her shirt, the cooling touch feeling comforting on her skin.

"Two thousand yen…" She heard Yugi mutter as he fiddled with the Puzzle. "Each?! Just who has that kind of money…"

Luna was glad he was so concentrated on the Puzzle. Because if not then he would definitely see the worry on her face. Then again, that wouldn't have been a pleasant conversation either.

 _Hey dad,_ She imagined in a bit of sarcasm _Yeah, I got into a fight, but don't worry! Everything will be handled if I get about four thousand American dollars in yen. You know, to handle the cost of me and my friend! Thanks, bye~_

…Yeah, _that_ would have definitely been a deal breaker. In only a few weeks of school too! Luna gave another groan, this time out of frustration. She didn't even want to _think_ about her uncle's reaction. She didn't want to disappoint the only person who had her back in this deal with her father.

Luna looked blearily at Yugi, before sitting up. The Puzzle was starting to form a concrete shape, a bit like a pyramid. She could see Yugi sit up straighter in his chair, noticing it too.

"Weird…" Yugi muttered as he looked idly for another piece. "Even though I feel like crap…my head feels clear…I think…" he said as he got another piece in place "I think I might solve the puzzle today!'

Luna gasped as several more fell into place, shuffling closer as the Puzzle came together.

"Yugi! You did! All it needs is one more piece!" Luna shrieked in joy, Yugi nodding furiously as he reached into the box for the final piece. Luna watched as his hand shifted, Yugi giving Luna a bemused look.

"Huh?" Yugi whispered, looking into the box, only to see that it was empty.

"Huh?!" Luna repeated as they began looking around the room.

"No…no!" Yugi cried when nothing came up. "It's not here?!" He pressed his lips together. "Luna-chan wait here, maybe I left it at school! Make sure the Puzzle stays intact!" Yugi requested before bolting out.

"Yugi wait!" Luna cried, forgetting the suffix in her worry. "Ushio might be…" She gaped to see that the door was already open. "How…?" She stepped back, racking her head. _The pieces should have all been there. Yugi rarely ever tried solving it in school…in fact the only time I ever saw him show the pieces was before Jounouchi…_

Luna paused. Then blinked. Then she gave an outraged shriek before she grabbed the Puzzle (which glowed) before slipping on her shoes. She was going to find Yugi and then she was going to _murder_ Jounouchi. And if Ushio somehow got in the way, she was going to murder him too.

Deal be damned.

* * *

"Luna-chan?"

Luna whirled around as she came to the school gates, surprised to see Honda and Jououchi there. She ignored whatever Honda was going to say, handing the Puzzle over to him to grab Jounouchi by the collar of his uniform.

"H-Hey what the hell are ya –" Jounouchi yelled.

"What did you do with the last piece!" Luna interrupted, eyes narrowing when Jounouchi froze.

"Wh- I don't know what you're talkin' about…" Jounouchi muttered, Luna huffing in frustration.

"Jounouchi, this is serious!" Luna argued, letting him go before pointing to the Puzzle. "Yugi came back here because he couldn't find the final piece! I'm worried he's going to run into…into…" Luna paused, spotting Ushio several feet away in the courtyard, his hand on Yugi's trembling shoulder, leading him somewhere off campus. " _Ushio."_ Luna hissed.

Jounouchi's eyes widen, looking half-guilty and concerned as Honda looked to where Luna was glaring.

"Shit!" Jounouchi cursed as Luna grabbed the Puzzle, taking off her school jacket to tuck it safely in the cloth, revealing a white shirt underneath.

"Come _on!"_ Luna urged, not bothering to see if they would follow. She was a bit relieved to hear two sets of footsteps behind her, Luna keeping an eye out for Ushio and more specifically, Yugi's distinctive hair. They didn't have to go far, Honda being the one to spot Yugi's hair, Ushio choosing a secluded area a few blocks away from the campus.

"Oi!" Jounouchi shouted, Ushio shifting back in surprise, revealing a beat up Yugi.

"Yugi…" Luna gasped, before turning her anger on Ushio.

"Oh…Luna-chan, there you are." Ushio said pleasantly, like he wasn't beating up her close friend a few minutes before they got here. "Do you got the money? It would definitely save Yugi-kun here if you did."

"My fist in your face is all the payment I got for you." Luna shouted back, Ushio only shaking his head.

"Now now, be more reasonable." Ushio crooned mockingly. "I'm sure there's a way for you to pay me back without the money. Who knows it may be good for the both of us. Or even a good punishment."

Luna felt herself shudder when she realized what he was implying, her fingers curling into fists, refusing to let Ushio know he was getting to her.

"I don't know how I respected you." Honda said in disgust, coming up beside her. "You're deplorable!"

"Haha!" Ushio cackled. "You think a three on one will give you the edge?"

It was Jounouchi that struck first, only to have Ushio step aside lazily, his fist curled before smacking it into Jounouchi's temple. Honda tried to follow up from behind. Ushio had managed to counter it with a back kick before Luna grabbed her little bundle and swung it at Ushio (apologizing silently to Yugi if the Puzzle came apart). She got some satisfaction out of his surprised grunt before she tried her luck by kicking him in the side.

Luna gasped when Ushio caught her kick, punching her on the side of her face. Falling to the ground, Luna dropped her jacket, seeing the bundle land beside Yugi, his eyes staring at the three of them in worry.

She only had time to yell at Yugi to run before Ushio grabbed her arm and proceeded to drag her away.

"Come on, I think we can have your 'education' in a more private setting." Ushio said with a slimy grin. Luna felt a spike of fear run through her, pulling her arm and hitting at Ushio, screaming for him to let go. Her mind was running into overdrive as she tried to think of a way out before she noticed her Bracelets glow, a strange gust of wind blowing by.

"So," A deep voice said. "It's game time."

* * *

Luna had little time to even blink when she turned around before she found herself on a dome-like tower. A small yelp escaped her when an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back until she hit against something metal.

Luna grabbed onto the metal antenna, her mind spinning as she looked to who was holding her. "Yugi?!" She exclaimed in shock, before shaking her head. _That's definitely not him_ , Luna thought, but feeling like she recognized Yugi's lookalike. He was taller, that was for sure, and he looked sterner, with his eyes sharper and the blond tips of his hair pointed upwards.

She then realized that this was the same specter looking silhouette she saw when she picked up the piece of the Millennium Puzzle. Just as she thought that, however, Yugi's lookalike reached out to trace her cheek, Luna wincing from the pain, watching as his expression became a touch angry.

"Yugi, you bastard!"

Luna tore her eyes away from this ghost, feeling her Bracelets heat up ominously as Ushio yelled, hanging by a rope that was connected to the specter, wrapped around the antenna. She watched as 'Yugi' smirked with all the confidence that the real Yugi rarely had, holding up something in his hands.

"Yo Ushio-san." He said, his voice deep and playful. "I have what you want right here."

"So you've got the money?" Usho replied, his eyes greedy. "If I knew then I wouldn't have needed to hurt you. Now hand it over!"

"But that's boring." 'Yugi' replied back airily, getting some shouts of surprise from both Ushio and Luna. Luna didn't really see what was so boring, or how this guy was so calm when they were _dangling off a rooftop._ Luna tore her gaze away from Ushio in an effort to _not_ think about falling. Holding to the antenna was a better thing to focus on. Or weird specter Yugi.

"Why not a little game?" 'Yugi' offered with a dangerous grin. "Not an ordinary one mind you. A Yami no Game."

Luna's eyes widened, remembering the inscription on the side of the box that held the Puzzle. Now that she got a better look at him, fake Yugi was wearing the Puzzle around his neck with a rope. _'Is he Yugi then?_ Luna thought. _Is this the dark power that the box had warned about?_ She never heard about a Yami no Game before, but from how her Bracelet and his Puzzle was glowing, Luna knew it wasn't anything good.

"Interesting!' Luna heard Ushio yell back. She risked looking down to see Ushio looking back at 'Yugi' in challenge. "I never lost any game! I accept!"

"Impressive." 'Yugi' praised, delighted at Ushio's answer. He grabbed the rope to make sure it was secure before he said "Luna."

Luna jumped, looking back at this lookalike in bemusement. He tapped to the antenna, making sure she had a secure grip on it before slipping his arm away.

"Don't let go." He cautioned before pulling out a deck of cards and sliding down the dome

 _ **Game Start**_

Luna watched as each card stuck to the dome in a single file line, the ropes connected Ushio and 'Yugi' evening out before they were both dangling around the same distance from the stop. Luna held her breath as 'Yugi' explained the rules, hands grasping the antenna tightly.

"The prize at the top huh?" Ushio repeated before looking up. Luna didn't like the look on his face, and she saw 'Yugi's' slight frown. "Which counts Luna-chan too then."

" _W hat?!"_ Luna yelled back, seeing 'Yugi's eyes narrow.

"I suppose it does." He relented, Luna glaring.

"Hey! Don't push it!" She warned, leaning down as much as she can with her hold on the antenna. "This is my _life_ we're talking about!"

"Luna."

She paused, seeing 'Yugi' stare up at her.

"I won't let him touch you." He said solemnly, stopping any other arguments Luna was about to yell down. "I promise."

Luna didn't know _why_ , but _somehow,_ she was comforted by this. Even though she knew this wasn't the Yugi she knew, there was something about him that made her think she can trust him. That, and the fact that she'd rather he wins then Ushio. Still, it was appreciative to know he cared about her feelings on the matter at that.

With a gulp, Luna nodded, leaning back to adjust her hold on the antenna as Ushio laughed scornfully.

"Play knight as much as you want Yugi!" He taunted. "I'll be sure to remind her of it in education!" He ignored the dark look he got from both parties in attendance, grabbing one of the cards. "I'll start!"

The ten of diamonds, getting a triumphant bark of laughter from Ushio as he counted the stops.

'Yugi' picked up another ten, which evened the odds.

Then it was the 2 of spades.

"Well we can't have that." Luna heard 'Yugi' say, before he revealed to pick up the Queen of the suit.

Luna continued to watch in amazement as 'Yugi' slowly made his way to the top, Ushio's line getting farther and farther from her before 'Yugi' was a step away from winning. Without meaning to, she relaxed a bit, feeling a grin get pulled from her when 'Yugi' taunted Ushio.

"Shut up!" Ushio yelled back, although his voice was a bit faint from how far he was. "The next card will turn things around!"

Luna held her breath, trying to get a good look at the card Ushio picked. A joker? She heard 'Yugi' chuckle.

"Too bad Ushio-san." He said. "Joker is a miss. My turn."

Luna was pretty sure he was rubbing it in at this point, but let out a laugh all the same when 'Yugi' pulled an ace.

"Vicotry is mine." He said, before Ushio lost it. Furious with his loss, Luna saw him begin to climb to the top. She looked to 'Yugi' wondering what he was going to do when he held out a hand.

"Hang on." He whispered, Luna reaching out and getting pulled into an embrace, wrapping her arms around 'Yugi' in fright as Ushio pushed them aside. "I knew he couldn't follow the rules." He muttered as they fell. One arm around Luna, his free hand slipping his Millennium Puzzle off and jammed it into the wall, stopping them from falling. Luna felt her Bracelets resonate with the Puzzle as the eye of Horus appeared on 'Yugi's forehead, shining up at Ushio.

"The Door of Darkness has opened." He pronounced ominously, Luna seeing the antenna break off with Ushio falling down with it, a pack of cards in his hands. She realized it was the prize at the top. It wasn't money at all. "The Yami no Game shows a person's true character." 'Yugi' explained as they watched Ushio fall into the waters, a serpentine like creature opening its mouth as Ushio fell into its jaws. "You will be swallowed by your own greed."

Luna blinked, feeling the harsh air die down and the feeling being suspended in air disappear for solid ground. When she opened her eyes, she was standing on the school grounds, Ushio curled up and sobbing in his hands.

 _ **Game Over**_

"You alright?"

Luna paused, realizing that she still hugging fake Yugi tightly, looking up to see him give her a concerned glance. She stepped back in shock, the lookalike letting her go slowly as Luna stared at him.

"I'm…fine." She answered slowly. "I'm just…very confused." Luna gave him another look, trying to make sense of the situation. Magic was real apparently, with the Millennium Puzzle being able to use it. Or mess with the mind, from how Ushio was crying on the ground. "Who…who are you?"

He blinked in surprise before a small smirk played at his lips.

"I'm pretty sure Ushio-san called me your knight." He replied simply, Luna feeling her cheeks heat up at the mention.

"Well then, _knight_ ," Luna pressed, refusing to let her embarrassment stop her from getting answers. "Mind giving this fair maiden a name?"

Luna saw his smirk become a touch wistful as he shrugged, making her pause.

"Yugi is what he called me, right?" He asked, staring down at the puzzle. "So I suppose that will do."

"No. No, it won't, because you're definitely not the Yugi I know." Luna argued. He only gave me a playful smile at that.

"If you have a better name, I'd be glad to hear it the next time we meet." He replied simply, before he reached out to touch the bruise on her face. "And hopefully, this will be healed by then."

Luna watched as the Puzzle glowed, the strange man in front of her seemingly shrinking before she caught a dazed Yugi in her arms.

"Y-Yugi, is that you?" Luna asked in shock, getting some mumbles in reply. And then.

"Buurgeers…"

"Yeah…yeah that's you." Luna sighed, before noticing how late it was. She pulled out her phone, grimacing. "Let's see if my uncle is willing to pick up four beat up kids and a helpless bully."

* * *

"Okay, now, new set of rules." Her uncle was saying as he drove Luna to school the next morning, glancing at gauze at her cheek with a frown. "The _next_ time you're being harassed or sexually assaulted, you come to me immediately, _and_ we tell your dad. No buts, because even _that_ hard-headed man cares enough when his daughter is getting injured.

"Because of publicity." Luna muttered mutinously, arms crossed. She saw her uncle wince out of the corner of her eye.

"It's not like that." He replied immediately, although he didn't show sure.

"It's hard to tell how my dad thinks of _anything_ these days." Luna whispered, mind still reeling from what she saw last night.

"Either way," Her uncle pressed on. "Self-defense and outright brawls are two things I _know_ you know the different off. And if self-defense means kicking their balls out or scratching out their eyes then all means. And we're reviewing all those classes you took last year."

"I know." Luna replied, her uncle having gone over this in his shock of seeing Luna's bruise. Gods forbid he knew about the time she spent dangling over the rooftop.

" _Please Luna."_ Her uncle said, slipping into Egyptian Arabic. _You're the last I have of my sister. I don't want you getting hurt or worse."_

Luna felt guilty at that, looking at her uncle as he came to a stop in front of the school. She unbuckled her seatbelt to lean in and hug him tightly, silently apologizing for everything she _didn't_ tell him.

" _I'll be more careful this time."_ She promised, wondering just how _careful_ she could be with this new information about the Millennium Items. _"And I'll be sure to tell you if anything goes wrong."_

She closed her eyes as her uncle hugged back, pushing down everything else she wanted to tell him, everything else she had experienced. Luna didn't want to ruin the chance of a new life hear, despite everything that happened. _Anything_ would have been better than the empty house back in America. _Anything_.

" _Have a good day. And tell your classmates that I hope they're healing well."_ Her uncle said as she got out of the car. Luna flashed him a small smile before running up to the entrance. Of course, that was where she heard all the rumors.

"Did you hear about Ushio-san?"

Was the first thing she heard when she entered the school to change her shoes, a group of 2nd years whispering to themselves about it as Luna looked for Yugi.

"Luna-chan!"

She turned, surprised to see Yugi looking bright and peppy after he had collapsed yesterday. Even the gauze around his cheek and neck didn't seem to deter him.

"Yugi-kun! How are you feeling?" Luna couldn't help but ask, watching his reaction closely. Yugi blinked, before holding up his Millennium Puzzle.

"Great! I finished my Puzzle see?" He said with a grin. Luna gave him a small smile before the smile became teasing.

"Hoping Anzu will notice?" She guessed, giggling as Yugi blushed furiously.

He nudged Luna a bit for the tease before he paused. "H-hey do you know what happened yesterday? I remember Ushio-san hitting me, but the next thing I know I'm at home with my Granpa worrying about me. He said you and your uncle dropped me off?"

"Y…You don't know?" Luna realized, seeing Yugi stare up at her expectantly. "O-Oh well…Ushio tried to educate me too, but then after that…well I really don't understand how it all happened…."

Yugi nodded at that.

"Yeah, I heard about Ushio-san." Yugi said solemnly. "I feel bad for him, getting hospitalized and all. I heard he's scared of his own shadow."

Luna stared at Yugi in shock. He really didn't remember? Not that Luna could blame him. She had woken up this morning thinking everything was a dream, but for some reason, she knew in her heart in wasn't. Should she tell him? He had a right to know after all…

"Hey, Yugi, Luna."

Before Luna could say anything, she saw Jounouchi walk up to them slowly, a hesitant look on his face.

"Morning Jounouchi-kun!" Yugi said cheerily, while Luna regarded him a bit more warily.

"Morning." She said politely with a nod, Jounouchi nodding back.

"I…I thought I'd follow your example." Jounouchi said with a look to Yugi. "So I brought my treasure. You guys want to see?"

Luna exchanged a curious look with Yugi, who nodded in reply. Jounouchi smirked, a strained sort of smile on his face as he rubbed his nose.

"Well, too bad! You can't! My treasure…" Jounouchi paused at this, musing over his words. "My treasure is something you can see but cannot." He waited a moment. "Care to figure out what that is?

"See but can't see…" Yugi repeated softly, his eyes bright with curiosity. Luna stared at Jounouchi for a moment, noting how fidgety he was as he waited, looking to be a bit embarrassed.

"What is it?" She finally asked, wondering what this treasure was that made _Jounouchi Katsuya_ so nervous to show to his two classmates.

"It's friendship." He answered smoothly, a stark contrast to how he was acting earlier. Luna looked at him in surprise before looking to see that Yugi was still processing the words.

"Oh, even though we see each other, you can't really _see_ friendship." She realized, getting a nod from Jounouchi. Luna grinned at him, realizing that this was his olive branch for what happened with Ushio, before Yugi's eyes filled with elated tears.

"Yeah!" Their friend agreed before Jounouchi quailed under the sentimentality, running off to class. Luna leaned back as his shoe came flying off, Yugi catching it and attempting to catch up. She laughed, looking at the glinting golden Puzzle around Yugi's neck before touching her own Bracelets underneath her jacket.

 _I guess I have a lot to learn…huh mom?_ Luna thought before racing after Yugi. "Hey! Don't forget about me!"

* * *

 **And there we have it folks! Thank you to each and every one of you that have been waiting oh so patiently for the second chapter of this revised fic! A big thank you to all that had reviewed in its hiatus and had given me small and welcome cheers for this chapter** _ **and**_ **for the next chapters to come! Don't worry folks, I have the whole story planned out, so its not a matter of writing this one the fly. It's just the fact that I want to execute this carefully while I'm also working on the deck Luna has gotten stored up in there. You'll get some flashes of it, but it won't truly be in effect until we get to Duelist Kingdom I'm afraid. In the meanwhile, I welcome the thoughts you have for the fic and how you think it will go from here on out! Yugioh has really been that show that had impacted my life, and I want to do it some justice with my old crush Yami and my OC. (Mind you, it's also really fun playing Yami in Duel Links as well.)**

 **Luckily I have more free time now to work out a small schedule. I know I definitely want at least two or three chapters finished up in writing before I post them. That way I have some breather time while you guys enjoy the chapters! And I also plan on posting on AO3 for any who prefer that site over FFNET (I'll be under the same username). Finally, with the appearance of guest reviewers with questions, I can also do a small Q &A at the end of fics for any guest who have some questions on the fic. (Hopefully I can give good answers without spoiling it). Until then, stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3: Dangerous Media

Something Luna hadn't considered when Jounouchi became friends with Yugi was that Yugi was a growing high school boy with hormones. And Jounouchi was a prime example of such a boy with little sense of delicacy or tact.

Which is why when her uncle had dropped her off to school, Luna was a bit surprised and slightly disgusted when she overheard Jounouchi and Yugi talking about a porn film.

"Don't let Honda hear about this." She interrupted, smirking when they jumped up and said her name in fright. "He's going to prattle on about how those videos are dirtying your mind from the purity or whatever."

"That's kind of the point of porn." Jounouchi said as Yugi went bright red when Luna raised an eyebrow at him.

"And I can't believe you buy into the myth of squinting your eyebrows." Luna sighed. "My uncle says that was just a way for kids to buy the films and subsequently ruin their eyes."

"Your _uncle_ told you this?!" Jounouchi exclaimed as Yugi's blush became brighter.

"Yeah, when he asked why I was staying home yesterday, I told him it was because Yugi wanted to watch a porn film you gave him. Trying to squint at the mosaics the other stuff you were talking about." Luna replied, Yugi squeaking in embarrassment. "He laughed quite loudly at that."

" _Luna-chan."_ Yugi said, looking as if he wanted the floor to cave in and bury him. Luna burst out laughing at the looks on his and Jounouchi's faces, ranging from embarrassment to blatant awe at her bluntness.

"Hm?" Luna said, noticing a van in front of the school. "Ne, what's that?"

Yugi and Jounouchi turned, seeing the van with some surprise. Very quickly, the trio came up to the van to read at the letters on the side.

"Z-TV?" Luna said. "Are they doing a story on our school?"

"M-Maybe it's an idol coming to our school!" Yugi said in excitement, Jounouchi jumping on that idea quickly.

"That must be it!" Jounouchi awed, peering around the van to see if he can get a better look. "Hey Luna, try see if you can spot them."

"What _idol?"_ Luna replied skeptically, although she still followed Jounouchi's orders, a bit curious herself. Yugi tried looking into the van window, his face all squished up when Jounouchi asked him if he saw anything.

"I can't, it must be a one-way mirror…" Yugi replied in disappointment. Luna pulled him back, Yugi massaging his face with a slight smile. "I wonder if we'll get to be on TV! A-Although, I don't think I'd be good in the spotlight."

"With hair like yours, you'd be a memorable background character." Luna giggled, Yugi patting his hair with a giggle.

"Not me!" Jounouchi stated proudly. "The camera _loves_ me!"

"Yeah, in animal documentaries." Luna replied before taking off when Jounouchi finally got around to it.

"You little –"He was shouting, Yugi's laughter bright and loud behind them.

"EH?!" Anzu exclaimed later at break. "An idol?!"

"That's what they think." Luna replied as Jounouchi gave Anzu a smug look, pointing out the window to the van parked outside school grounds.

"Why else would there be a TV van?" He questioned, Yugi nodding along. Anzu turned her glance at Luna.

"You believe that too?" Anzu asked, Luna shrugging.

"Well, I mean it _would_ be interesting." She responded with a sheepish grin. "Besides, wouldn't _you_ want to meet a real-life idol?"

"W-Well sure, but come on…" Anzu replied a bit hesitantly. "Wouldn't have the teachers told us if someone famous was coming to school?"

"O-Oh yeah…" Yugi muttered, sagging despondently. Even the tips of his hair seemed to droop as he realized that they might have jumped to conclusions.

Until Jounouchi that is.

"Hehe, morons!" He said, posing up on a chair and desk. "She's probably disguised as a student!" He got a sly look on his face. "I'll get her alone and strip her of her mask!"

"Oi." Luna snorted as Yugi and Anzu went bright red.

"Jounouchi-kun…that's…" Yugi fumbled while Anzu retorted sharply.

"They'll throw the book at you!" She warned, Jounouchi glaring.

"There's no penalty for stripping!" He shot back.

"Maybe not in bed, but outside its just sexual harassment." Luna replied with a slight grin. "And you'll get arrested for it."

" _Luna-chan!"_ Anzu gaped, scandalized as Jounouchi fell off the chair in laughter. Yugi looked to torn between laughing and being horrified, his face an interesting red as he held in his laughter and embarrassment.

"Ah! Anzu-chan, wait! I'm sorry!" Luna apologized quickly as Anzu began to pinch her sides before it dissolved into a tickling war. One that Luna was losing badly. "W-Wait okay! I g-get it j-just stop!" She wheezed, squealing when Anzu pinched the back of her neck.

"Finally! Lunch time!" Jounouchi cheered as the rest of us got out of our seats to head to the cafeteria. "Man, Honda better have saved us a spot in line for food!"

"It's more likely that he saved Miho-chan a spot then us." Luna replied, getting a slight giggle from Anzu and Yugi. Jounouchi sagged when he realized that the dark-skinned teen had a point about that, before he brightened suddenly.

"Wait! This would be the perfect time to find that idol!" Jounouchi exclaimed, making the three of them pause.

"Really Jounouchi-kun?" Anzu sighed in exasperation, shaking her head. "I'm going on ahead, I don't need to hear this again. You guys want me to get anything before I get there? To save time."

Luna dug into her pockets to give Anzu her lunch money. "Try get the yakisoba bread if you can, but if not, just save that for me to get a normal plate."

"Milk!" Yugi chipped in, handing Anzu his money as well. Anzu flashed them a smile before she left, leaving the two to handle with Jounouchi.

"Really though, Jounouchi," Luna said, as the teen's eyes began to sparkle at the thought of catching the idol. "We never heard anything about it in homeroom. Maybe Z-TV was just covering something else. Like a school documentary or something."

"Hmph, you got no sense of adventure." Jounouchi scoffed, Luna glaring at him while he turned to Yugi. "What do you think, Yugi?" He asked, only to see the boy hesitate. "Che! Fine, I'll search for the idol myself!" He fled off with a determined look on his face, Yugi and Luna staring at his back in some awe.

"Should I be impressed or worried that he's willing to skip school for this?" Luna asked idly, only to see Yugi look a bit downcast. She nudged him softly with her elbow. "Hey, don't worry about Jounouchi, he won't stop being your friend just because you don't want to go idol hunting with him."

"You sure, Luna-chan?" Yugi asked hopefully, Luna nodding.

"He's as hot-headed as he's always been." Luna said, wrapping an arm around Yugi with a wide grin. "So when he fails, we can be there to console him before we go back to challenging each other with fun games. I won't even say anything when he gives you another porn film!"

" _Luna-chan!"_ Yugi squeaked, swatting her arm away. Luna laughed loudly at his bright red face, poking his cheek teasingly. She was a bit surprised when someone called out Yugi. A older looking student came up to them with a headband around his forehead.

"Who are you?" Luna asked, the boy bowing.

"I'm Fujita, from a different class." The student said vaguely, his eyes on Yugi. Yugi gave him a bow in return, looking a bit nervous at being called out so suddenly. "Hey, I heard you guys were looking for the idol, right?"

"Eh?" Yugi said, brightening. "You mean there really is an idol here?!"

Luna stared at Fujita in surprise, narrowing her eyes.

"I know who she is, so I can introduce you." Fujita offered to Yugi, who flushed brightly and exclaimed loud in excitement.

"Wait, how do you know something like that?" Luna asked, stepping forward to face Fujita head on, seeing his lips turn into a slight frown. "The rumor thing has only been out for a day."

"I know someone that works for Z-TV." Fujita explained roughly. "He told me before I came this morning. Happy now?"

Luna was about to reply that she wasn't when Fujita walked away.

"Yugi, I'll meet up with you later after school so I can show you." The student said, Yugi looking as if he was on cloud nine, murmuring reverently about the idol. Luna stared at Fujita's back, trying to remember what class the kid was from.

"I don't think you should go alone." Luna said once the final bell rang, Yugi packing up his stuff quickly.

"It's fine Luna-chan! I don't want the idol to feel nervous." Yugi replied merrily. "Don't worry, I'll see if I can get an autograph!"

"No, that's not what I meant," Luna argued a bit exasperatedly. "I mean that I don't like the sound of this Fujita kid. I don't even remember what class he's in."

"I thought he was an upperclassman." Yugi mused, a finger to his chin. "Although I don't really recall seeing him around either…"

"Hey, Yugi, come on!"

Yugi turned around, nodding to Fujita before he gave Luna a quick smile. Luna watched a bit helplessly as Yugi left, not liking the smug smile Fujita gave her. She was just about done with packing her own bag when Jounouchi came inside the classroom, a camera in his hand.

"You missed last period." Luna told him idly, throwing his backpack to him. "How was idol hunting?"

"Nothing." Jounouchi scowled, before noticed Yugi wasn't with her. "I thought we were going to the Game Shop after."

"This kid named Fujita told Yugi that he knew where the idol was," Luna scowled, not noticing Jounouchi pause. "They left a few minutes ago, but I'm a bit worried. Maybe we should go check up on –"

"Come on! If Yugi really is meeting the idol, we need to go take a picture of her!" Jounocuhi shouted, grabbing Luna by the scruff and dragging her with him.

"H-Hey! Jounouchi, let me go! I can walk on my own two feet, dammit!" Luna argued, stumbling for a moment before her friend let go. She was a bit relieved that Jounouchi was willing to listen to her, even if he didn't get the gist of what she had meant.

"Where would they be?" Jounouchi mused aloud.

"Well, if I was up to no good, or meeting a famous idol," Luna said a tad sarcastically "I'd go somewhere hidden and secluded so no one would see me."

They shared a look.

"Behind the gym." They said in unison, taking off. It became a bit of a race as they tried to see who could get to the gym first (Jounouchi would later argue that he won, while Luna argued that _she_ won), but any thoughts of the race came to a stop when they saw Fujita beating Yugi up.

"Yugi!" Luna gasped as Jounouchi picked up the pace. Luna came to Yugi's side, seeing a bruise begin to blossom at her friend's cheek as Jounouchi picked Fujita up by his collar.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Jounouchi roared, raising a fist. Luna was about to yell the same when she noticed someone come out of the bushes. He had a goatee and wore a baggy t-shirt and pants, while the baseball cap on the man's head was backwards. Luna stared, wondering what the hell that old guy was doing in the bushes when she noticed a camera.

"Cut, cut!" The man said with a sly grin on his face. Like they were all actors on set, and that this was a scene going wrong. "That's alright now Fujita, you did a good job."

"Excuse me?!" Luna exclaimed as Jounouchi glared. She held Yugi in her arms tightly, scowling at the man. "He just beat up our friend! Who the hell are you anyways?!"

"Just the director for Z-TV sweetheart." The man shrugged, Luna bristling. She was about to stand up before Yugi grabbed her arm weakly.

"Yugi, are you okay?" Jounouchi asked when he noticed the movement.

"I…I'm sorry…" Yugi apologized, Luna and Jounouchi staring at him in surprise. "There wasn't an idol after all."

"Yugi, it's not your fault!" Jounouchi argued.

"The one who needs to apologize is him!" Luna added, pointing at the director with ire. The director looked a tad disgusted at the display before he told the camera man to stop filming.

"Listen, it was just bad luck that your friend got chosen to play the victim." The director said idly, digging in his ear with his pinkie. "The odds were about the same as rolling a one on a die." The director chuckled, smiling like he won a huge prize. "But don't worry, we got some good footage out of it! Sympathetic viewers will be sending you letters by the dozen! You're a star Yugi!"

"Are you asking to die?!" Jounouchi yelled, running over to give that man a piece of his mind. The director didn't look worried at all, even as Jounouchi grabbed him by the collar and raised his fist.

"Go ahead, hit me." The director taunted. "Just don't forget the camera."

Luna stood up, running over to Jounouchi, shouting "Don't! The camera isn't even rolling!"

Jounouchi's hesitance cost him as the director kneed him quite hard in the torso, Luna catching him quickly.

"Bastard!" Luna yelled before the director laughed.

"Just try and say anything else girl!" The director taunted, grabbing her by the cheek. "If you want, I can just film all of you and make you and your friends the laughing stock of the world!"

Luna flinched, paling at the thought. While her father had made use of the media before, she knew that what the director said held some truth to it. The last thing she needed was to have her face being plastered over the news, or for her friend's lives to get ruined because of it.

The director only laughed louder at her expression letting Luna go as he walked off with the cameraman and Fujita in tow.

"Don't worry! I'll hide your faces with a digital mosaic!" The man boasted. "No one will even recognize you!"

Luna bit her lip as he walked off, furious with herself before noticing at her Bracelets were glowing ominously.

"You alright?" A deep voice asked her, and Luna turned around, mouth agape. Before her stood the fake Yugi, a wadjet on his forehead.

Luna had managed to convince Dark Yugi to help her bring Jounouchi to the Game Shop, where her friend could rest for a moment. Yugi's own grandfather wasn't there, leaving a note on the counter saying that he was going to pick up some groceries for dinner. With some assistance from her 'knight', she got Jounouchi to the living room, laying him on the couch.

"Wait here," The specter said, Luna blinking in surprise when she saw him grab a die from behind the counter.

"Off to play knight again?" She asked, standing up to follow, grabbing Yugi's spare house key in his bag. She saw a small smirk from on his face, pausing to look over his shoulder.

"And if I am?" He asked, waiting patiently for her response.

"I'm coming." She decided, seeing him narrow his eyes.

"After what that man did? He could have hurt you too, you know." He replied, Luna frowning when he turned back to leave. She sped up, stopping right in front of his, fist to her sides. 'Yugi' paused again, looking a bit surprised at the defiance on her face.

"Now listen up," Luna began lowly, stepping a bit closer with a finger to his chest. "You're angry about what he did? Newsflash, I am too. He tricked us _and_ hurt both Jounouchi _and_ Yugi. I'm _fuming_ at the thought that that man might have hurt more people too. If he's going to get what's coming to him, I of all people have the _right_ to be there in their stead."

She saw him give her an impressed glance before Luna crossed her arms and gave him a slight smirk.

"Besides," She added, seeing the specter give her a curious glance. "Do you even _know_ the way to Z-TV?"

She saw him pause, his mouth open to answer, but nothing coming out. Luna smiled triumphantly, grabbing his wrist.

"Thought not." She hummed. Luna was a bit smug to say that while the specter behind her sighed in exasperation, he made no movement to stop her from dragging him to the nearest bus stop.

"Ugh, this place feels bigger than the last time my uncle brought me…" Luna muttered a bit cautiously as they got off, peering up at Z-TV broadcast station a bit hesitantly.

"You're uncle?" The specter echoed a bit idly. Luna looked around, trying to remember where the parking lot was.

"He had an interview." She explained before she pointed to where it was. The specter nodded his thanks as they made their way to the parking area, ducking under the yellow barrier. She saw the specter give her a curious look, Luna realizing she might have said a bit too much.

"What does he do?" He asked curiously. Luna hesitated a bit, trying to come up with a good excuse. But she couldn't find it in herself to lie, not when this guy had risked his life to save her from Ushio and now avenging their friends with the director.

"He…sort of helps _'Abi_ 's company…at least for the branch in Japan." Luna replied slowly. She saw the specter pause, stopping in front of a car with a careful look on his face. Luna partly hoped that he didn't hear her.

"Here…" She heard him murmur, seeing a wadjet glow dimly on his forehead before the specter turned to her.

"Your fathers company?" He repeated and Luna sighed as he stood there, waiting. "Sounds like a big thing."

"Haha…yeah…" She replied a bit sheepishly. "It's…amazing. The result of my family's hard work, while ' _Abi_ is considered to be its best director yet."

"You would think you'd sound proud about that." The specter said to her carefully.

"I _am_ proud." Luna retorted softly, seeing the specter give her a look of disbelief. "Never mind, it doesn't matter."

"I doubt that." Was the reply she got, Luna being saved from answering when they heard the director's voice. He seemed to be discussing something with another colleague before he broke off to get to his car, Luna stepping out of the shadows with the resident ghost.

She watched as the director turned around, apparently spotting them through his side-view mirror.

"I've been waiting for you, director." 'Yugi' said, grinning a bit when the director looked at him in confusion. Luna could understand that reaction, at least. Even though this specter wasn't Yugi, it sure as hell looked a lot like him. The dramatic change of personality would give anyone whiplash. What Luna didn't understand was why the man's expression turned to her.

"You!" The director said and there was a greedy grin on his face. "Well, just my luck, you've been on my mind this whole day."

Luna froze, sharing a look with fake Yugi.

"I was thinking that I recognized you from somewhere." The director continued, apparently noticing their unease. Luna stood stock still as he took out a photo from his pocket, Luna paling at the picture. It was an old photo before her mother had died. It was of Luna, her face half-hidden behind a guard while her father and mother walked together, side by side. "Tsukino, isn't that your family name? I couldn't believe it. I would have thought a rich girl like you would be attending one of those fancy prep schools in America. Or were you unable to handle all the publicity you and your old man are getting back home?"

Luna glared at the director at the mention, wondering how the hell he remembered something like that.

"What about it?" She hissed back, feeling a hand on her shoulder. The specter was giving her a concerned look, silently relaying for her to calm down. Luna nodded as they turned their gaze back to the director's sneering one.

"I wonder what your old man would say if he knew you were loitering around like this, so late at night." The director mused loudly, taking out a camera from inside his car. Luna felt her anxiety spike when he turned it on. "Picking a fight and all with your little boyfriend there. Or maybe he won't even care?"

"I see." Dark Yugi spoke up, looking at the director shrewdly. "So, using me and hurting my friend wasn't enough? Now you want to exploit another person close to me?"

"Sure do Yugi-kun!" The director replied with a devilish grin. "It's the beauty of media! The viewers at home should know when rich little girls like her abuse their privilege."

"Big talk from you." Luna hissed back, seeing Dark Yugi give a small grin.

"Why don't we play a game then?" He offered, Luna stepping back as he took out a die. "There's nothing to be afraid of, its just a simple game of rolling the die." There was a small chuckle. "People have been staking their lives on these things since ancient Egypt! Of course, back then they used astragali…"

Luna might have imagined it, but for a moment, the specter seemed to sound a bit wistful at the mention of the ancient game. Almost like it was a distant memory.

"And why would I do something like that?" The director asked.

"If you win, I'll tell you all about that incident from five years ago." Luna spoke up, getting a look from both the director and Dark Yugi. The director looked elated, while 'Yugi' looked concerned. "An exclusive that no one else has ever gotten before."

"Hoho…" The director mused, looking interested. "And if your little knight here wins?"

Luna shared a look with the 'knight' himself, seeing his smug grin at the term. She rolled her eyes.

"That's up to him, I guess." She replied, seeing the nod of thanks from Dark Yugi.

"Alright then, explain this game." The director relented with a cocky grin.

To put it simply, it was a game where the winner would be the one who rolled the lesser number. Dark Yugi had even said that the director would still win if there was a tie.

"As for what I get if I win," He added. "Then you play a penalty game."

 _ **Game Start**_

Dark Yugi dropped the die from his hand, getting a six. Luna blinked in surprise from where she stood, paling a bit at the number. It didn't help that the director also laughed quite loudly, now fully confident that he was going to win.

"I doesn't matter what number comes up, I don't even need to roll the die!" He boasted. Only Dark Yugi seemed to be keeping his cool, Luna near shivering behind him. She couldn't stand the thought of speaking to the _director_ of all people about the incident from five-years ago. She _couldn't_.

"The odds are in your favor." Dark Yugi admitted easily, a cool smirk on his face. "But the game isn't over until you roll."

The director scoffed, picking up the die with a glint in his eye.

"Bratty little punk!" He insulted, the die shifting in his palm. "Fine, I'll do it…" Luna started when the director threw the die at his face. "I'll put a hole in your head while I'm at it!"

Luna didn't even look at what the director rolled, grabbing the man by his shirt in anger.

"What the hell?!" She yelled, the director laughing.

"A one, Tsukino." The director boasted. "Looks like I get that interview!"

Luna scowled, before she felt her wrist burn. She let go of the director, seeing that the wadjet on her Bracelets were glowing, Luna turning around to see that Dark Yugi was grinning. She looked to the ground.

The die was split in half, showing a one and a six. Making it.

"A seven?!" She heard the director exclaim. Luna stepped back, seeing the magic collect at Dark Yugi's forehead.

"Penalty Game!" He announced, the eye shining off his forehead like a beacon. "Mosaic Illusion!"

She watched as the director clutched his eyes, looking horrified before getting on his knees and screaming in agnoy.

"If you want to bend the truth in front of the camera's, then all you see with be censored!" Dark Yugi explained with a satisfied smirk. He held out his hand. "Let's go, before security gets here."

Luna nodded, taking one last look at the pitiful man before grabbing his hand.

 _ **Game Over**_

"Are all Millennium Items able to do what you did?" Luna asked once they got off the bus and headed towards the Game Shop. Dark Yugi looked at her, his eyes glancing at her Bracelets.

"Have you ever been able to use yours?" He asked, taking her wrist to stare at one of the Bracelets. They were a simple gold band with a Wadjet on each. Luna shook her head.

"They never really did anything until…" She looked to Dark Yugi. "Well, until _you_ came, really. I mostly where them as a memento."

He looked a bit surprised at that, giving the Bracelet another calculating glance before letting go, putting a hand on his Puzzle.

"Maybe ours are connected then." He suggested after a moment, Luna blinking. "Mind you, I wasn't aware that there was more than just my Puzzle."

"Of course, there is." Luna said, blinking. "Although, the story around them has been a bit vague. I think my mother told me there's eight of these items, but no one is really aware of where they are…actually, the Millennium Puzzle was considered lost to history."

"Is that so…" Dark Yugi said, looking to be deep in thought. Luna regarded him for a moment, recalling how he sounded when talking about astragali.

"Is it possible…" Luna muttered, seeing his gaze return to her. "I figured you were a ghost, but maybe you're older than I thought." He raised an eyebrow at that, looking a tad offended.

"You're calling me _old_?" He replied, Luna snorting at his expression.

"You appeared from a five thousand-year-old artifact." She replied, seeing his expression purse. "Yeah, I'm calling you old. You're a sixteen-year-old going on ancient." Luna fell silent, peering at him closely as they came in front of the shop.

"What? Trying to find wrinkles?" Dark Yugi asked, Luna bursting into giggles.

"No, I think I know what to call you." She replied with a small grin. He looked at her in surprise. "Like you said from last time."

"I thought I was your knight?" He teased, Luna laughing.

"Sounds too cheesy." She replied. "I was thinking something like…Yami."

"Yami?" He repeated, sounding a bit interested.

"Yami no Game." Luna explained, seeing his expression turn amused. "That's what you did with Ushio, and this time with the director. And they seem to think you're a dark version of Yugi, so…Yami."

"Yami…" He murmured, a bit more to himself that anything. Luna saw something flash in his eyes, something like longing. "A name…for me?"

"Yeah…" Luna said, wondering if she did something wrong. "I thought it fit you. No?"

He only grinned, a bit softer than the grins he gave in a game.

"I like it." He replied, nodding gratefully. "Thank you, Luna."

Luna blushed a bit at the lack of honorific, almost intimate sounding. Yami only chuckled at her expression, opening the door the shop.

"You should call your uncle." He said, inviting her in. "He'd want to hear about where you've been."

"Oh _shit_." Luna realized, running in the store and using the landline. She saw a flash of gold and turned, seeing Yugi collapse next to her.

"Yugi?"

Luna was in the middle of grabbing Yugi when his grandfather walked in, looking relieved.

"Luna-chan! There you are!" He hobbled over, checking Yugi over. "What happened? Why are you two out so late at night? Why was Jounouchi-kun collapsed on my sofa?"

"We…got held up. There was a TV station in front of the school." Luna said after a moment. "Yugi and Jounouchi got hurt after a small scuffle with the crew."

"What?" Grandpa exclaimed, aghast.

"It's fine!" Luna replied. "We got it handled back at the station…"

Grandpa sighed, looking at Yugi with some worry before he helped Luna bring him to his room.

"Why don't you stay the night, Luna-chan?" Grandpa offered. "You and my grandson might as well get some rest before school tomorrow."

"O-Oh, I can't impose." Luna replied. "I don't even have a change of clothes."

"I'll call your uncle and ask him to bring by a spare uniform early in the morning." Yugi's grandfather compromised, all but pushing her up the stairs. "Go on, rest! You kids have too much energy for this old man. The guestroom is next to Yugi's!"

Luna could only comply, bringing Yugi to his room before collapsing in the guest room.

"Eh? Luna-chan?" Anzu said at the school gate when she saw Luna walking with Yugi to school.

"Morning…" Luna said drowsily, mirrored by Yugi, who yawned. Her uncle had come by earlier with a change of clothes, all but reprimanding her for staying out so late and not calling him without any explanation as to why. And _then_ he demanded that she tell him the name of the crew that had hurt her friends and her (because her uncle knew that there was no way she would have stood by idly).

While her uncle would have given her a ride, he had gone off quickly to file a lawsuit once Luna had explained the situation. Leaving for her and Yugi to walk to school. Luna quickly fell into step with Anzu as Jounouchi came up to greet Yugi.

"I had slept over at Yugi's last night." Luna explained. "The whole idol thing ended up being a huge mess."

"I figured." Anzu said with a concerned look to both Luna and the boys. "I heard that one of the directors got admitted to the hospital. Found him last night in his parking lot, screaming."

Luna said nothing, still feeling a bit vindictive.

"He deserved it, after what he did to Yugi and Jounouchi." Luna muttered, before relaying some of what happened to Anzu. She gasped loudly, her face growing red with anger before Anzu calmed down.

"Well…at least he won't be doing anything like that again." Anzu muttered, Luna nodding in agreement. "Hm? What's Jounouchi taking out of his bag?"

"Ah…" Luna said with a snort. "He agreed to give Yugi a porn film."

Anzu raised an eyebrow, shooting the boys a look of slight disgust and disdain. Then she giggled.

"Anzu-chan?" Luna asked, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her in her sleep-deprived state.

"Watch this…" Anzu whispered back, walking up casually to the boys and taking the VHS tape from Jounouchi's hands. Luna watched in awe as Jounouchi and Yugi paled. "Hmm?" Anzu said in an innocent tone. "What's this? A good movie?"

Luna laughed as Anzu continued to walk off, holding the tape in her hand with a wink. Jounouchi and Yugi attempted to take it back, almost stumbling over each other.

"If it's that interesting, then I'll just borrow it!" Anzu teased, Luna doubling over.

"Wait, Anzu-chan! I'll watch it with you!" Luna yelled back. "We'll make it a girl's night with Miho-chan!"

"Oh! Good idea!" Anzu replied, keeping up an innocent exterior as the boys gaped. Luna cackled as they tossed it around, playing keep away from the boys.

* * *

 **Ayyy, this was originally going to be a rewrite of the original chapter, but then I was like 'hey wait, this would be the perfect way to implement more of Luna's past' and then this happened. Besides, I figured that I should give the director some reason to actually play since in the manga, he's kind of just like 'wow, I should totally amuse this high school kid to play with a die.' Also after extensive research using google, multiple language sites and YouTube videos, I have determined that** _Abi_ **is a formal term for 'my father' in Arabic. If this is a mistake/mistranslated, don't hesitate to correct me.**

 **Thank you so much to all the people to have followed and favorite this fic so far! Don't be scared to review to tell me what you think of the fic/chapter so far! See you guys soon!**


	4. Chapter 4: Hard Beat

Luna had to say that her morning started off with a bit of anticipation.

" _Morning."_ Her uncle greeted, a plate of fluffy pancakes and eggs ready at the table. He sat with a newspaper in hand, although he gazed at her in concern. " _How are you feeling?"_

" _Fine."_ Luna replied. It was a lie, they both knew it. Luna touched the wadjet of her Bracelet as she sat down. Although the pancakes smelled warm and the eggs radiated a soothing heat, Luna couldn't find it in her to have an appetite.

" _Come on, little one."_ Her uncle said with a gentle prod to her side. Luna nodded, cutting into her pancakes and chewing on them slowly. _"Everything will be fine. Nothing bad has happened since you got here."_

" _Except the thing with Ushio,"_ Luna retorted after gulping. _"And the director with Z-TV"_

" _None of which was your fault."_ Her uncle replied sternly, Luna staring at the table.

" _Khal-Iman."_ Luna whispered, her uncle Iman taking her hand and squeezing it.

" _Zahra."_ Iman replied, slipping into her Arabic name. Luna felt tears being to well in her eyes. She hadn't heard that use of that name in a long time. _"Everything will be alright. Trust me, okay? I explained the whole situation with your father."_

Luna nodded, looking at the calendar that hung on the fridge. After all, it was officially a month into her transfer to New Domino, Japan.

She would be expecting a call from her father at the end of the week.

Luna's anxiety was making it hard for her to focus. She didn't realize this until after her uncle dropped her off to school, and she ended up walking right into someone as she entered the building. Someone being Yugi.

" _Yugi!"_ Luna gasped, feeling stupid. " _Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"_

She paused when Yugi blinked at her blankly, looking confused.

"I-I mean," Luna said, feeling her face heat up. She wanted to throw herself into a ditch. "Sorry, I didn't realize I bumped into you. A-And good morning."

She saw Yugi smile in bemusement, although Luna could see that it was subdued. It was so jarring that the thought of her father was pushed from her mind.

"Everything okay?" She asked quietly, seeing Yugi freeze up.

"F-Fine Luna-chan!" Yugi tried to assure, not looking fine at all. "And morning! Uhm…" Luna watched as he fidgeted, hands digging deep into the pockets of his blazer. "W-What was that language you were speaking earlier?"

Luna stared. She wasn't sure why, but she had the feeling that _that_ wasn't what he was going to ask. Still, she didn't want to push it when Yugi was looking so distressed.

"Arabic." Luna replied, seeing the nervous look disappear for a moment. "Yeah, I speak it all the time at home with my uncle. That's what I was speaking when I first introduced myself, remember?"

She saw Yugi's eyebrows furrow, before he snapped his fingers.

"Oh! So that's what it was!" Yugi said, grinning widely. "I remember that all our classmates thought it was a new kind of English."

Luna snorted, feeling a grin get pulled from her. She kept a close eye on Yugi as they walked to their classroom. She wondered what was going on with him.

"Wait, isn't it confusing?" Yugi asked as he opened the door, breaking off with a surprised cry when Jounouchi came in to noogie him.

"Morning Yugi!" Jounouchi said with a grin. Holding a squirming Yugi in his arm, he looked to Luna. "Morning Luna. So, what's confusing?"

"Knowing three languages." Luna replied seeing Yugi wriggle his way out. She ducked just under Jounouchi's reach when it looked as if he was going to try and give her a noogie in greeting as well.

"Why would someone know three languages?" Jounouchi asked, glaring at Honda for snorting.

"Languages look good on a college application." Honda said succinctly while Miho squealed.

"I'd love to learn a language!" Miho sighed, holding her hands together. "Like French, it's so _romantic_." Luna raised an eyebrow when Honda firmly agreed, nodding so fast that she was certain his head would come off.

"I'm more for English." Anzu said with a shrug. "It's only being used _everywhere_ these days."

"Sounds complicated." Jounouchi retorted with an eyeroll. "I'll stick with good old Japanese and subtitles for any translation, thank you very much."

"Well, Luna-chan knows three." Yugi inputted, looking a bit envious. "Although, I wouldn't mind knowing English either. I'd love to go to America to check out their games…"

"Wait, you do, Luna-chan?" Anzu said, Miho gasping in delight. Luna raised an eyebrow as her friends stared at her expectantly. She sighed.

"First there's Japanese," Luna said, ticking off her finger. " **Then there's English,"** She added, translating that sentence to Japanese, " _And finally, Arabic."_

They all stared at her in amazement.

"How is that _not_ confusing?" Jounouchi asked, rubbing his chin as Miho came up to Luna, asking for her to say different phrases. All of them sounding like something from a cheesy romance novel.

"No Miho-chan, I'm not saying 'draw me like one of your French girls," Luna said blankly, Miho pouting. Yugi giggled as Luna focused on the actual question that started this conversation. "And it's actually very confusing thank you, especially when they're all essentially the languages I've been raised to speak. One time I was talking to one of my classmates about school work, but I blanked out on the word assignment. I ended up cycling through the Arabic word for homework and the Japanese word for it before I finally managed to remember how to say it in English."

Luna buried her head in her hands as her friends laughed. God that was an embarrassing moment. One of many, but Luna wasn't going to admit that any time soon either.

"I'm surprised we haven't heard you slip up yet." Anzu mused, eyes twinkling. Yugi dissolved into giggles at the idea as Jounouchi grinned mischievously.

"Well now that you mentioned it, I _definitely_ can't let it happen now." Luna said determinedly. Miho winked as Honda sighed in exasperation. "Anyway Jounouchi-kun, I've been meaning to ask. You finally given up on the whole idol thing?"

At that, Jounouchi stood up on his chair, one foot on the desk. Honda looked absolutely scandalized while pushing Miho behind him.

"I've done my investigating, and after two weeks, it's like I thought – there's no idol in this school!" Jounouchi said, Luna almost falling off her chair.

"Like you _thought?!"_ Anzu repeated, looking annoyed. Luna palmed her forehead as Yugi gaped.

"You were investigating that?!" Yugi muttered, astonished. " _Still?!"_

"Jounouchi, get your dirty shoes off the _desk_ , that is school _property!"_ Honda interjected, finally finding his voice.

"Eh? Idol?" Miho said, looking so terribly confused.

"And so I decided!" Jounouchi spoke over, louder than before. " _I_ shall become the school idol."

They all stared.

"Ha!" Luna finally broke, dissolving into laughter as Anzu gave Jounouchi a deadpan stare. Miho only stared at him in wonder, as if trying to imagine Jounouhchi as an idol.

"What?" Jounouchi argued, stepping down from his perch. "Who says I can't?"

"Many, _many_ people." Honda replied, Luna trying to reign in her laughter. Yugi patted her back with a small grin on his face.

"For one thing Jounouchi, people have to know you and _like_ you." Luna gasped, Jounouchi looking offended.

"You guys know me and like me." Jounouchi pointed out.

"Debatable." Anzu sniffed.

"You don't count." Jounouchi shot back, while Miho giggled.

"Miho thinks that Jounouchi-kun doesn't have the look of one, but Miho will cheer him on!" Miho said cheerfully.

"Miho-chan!' Honda said, melting in adoration. "You're so kind! Looking past Jounouchi's dirty exterior! Cheering him on despite the odds!"

"Honda shut up!" Jounouchi snapped.

"We're your friends, so yeah, we know and like you." Luna, noting how Yugi's hand paused for a moment. "That's the whole idea of being friends. But with 'idols' people don't tend to be friends with them. You need like, at least fifty-five percent of the school to know who you are. And _then_ get them to like you."

Jounouchi scowled, turning to Yugi.

"Yugi, what do you think?" Jounouchi demanded. Luna looked as well to see Yugi snap to attention at the sound of his name. His eyebrows furrowed when he realized Yugi wasn't paying attention.

"Yugi?" Anzu said, noticing how out of it their friend was. Honda and Miho quieted as well, looking concerned.

"What are you worrying about?" Jounouchi asked, taking Yugi by the shoulders. "Someone bullying you? What's going on? Tell me, I'll help you!"

"Jounouchi, be gentle!" Anzu chastised, but her eyes softened when she looked to Yugi. "Everything okay?"

Luna watched Yugi carefully, the surprise on his face shifting into a small, nervous smile. He looked so grateful at them at the moment. So much that it rang alarm bells in her head.

"I'm fine, really." Yugi said, his voice small when conveying his gratitude. "Everything is fine! But…thanks anyway guys…"

Luna shared a look with Anzu as Jounouchi inspected Yugi a bit more. Still, he gave a nod before turning to Honda. Luna filtered out the rest of the conversation as she watched Yugi dig his hands into his pockets again, something sticking out. Paper, if she had to guess.

Just then the bell rang, everyone settling into their seats. Luna risked a glance at Yugi, seeing his expression downcast. He looked so nervous while he wrung his hands, Luna looking away. She'll get to the bottom of this.

While she _had_ promised herself to ask Yugi about it, Luna underestimated how hard it was to actually do it. It didn't seem like Yugi was willing to say a word about what was going on with him. Especially under Anzu's careful eye and Jounouchi's concerned gazes.

Luna didn't want to make him uncomfortable, so she figured the best plan was to confront him about it alone. She was hoping that she would at least be able to understand what was going on with him. And _then_ they could bring it up with their friends.

Which was why the end of school was the perfect time to ask. Her uncle wouldn't be picking her up, so she could catch Yugi while walking home. Anzu usually left really quickly after the bell rang. Honda would be busy with his Beautification thing after school. Miho liked walking home with a couple of their classmates. It was Jounouchi she had to convince.

She took her chance when Jounouchi said he had to go to the bathroom at lunch. Luna shared a significant look with Anzu as she made an excuse to go to the library. Luckily, she managed to catch Jounouchi right as he came out of the boy's bathroom.

"What do you mean, _alone_?" Jounouchi retorted, looking hurt. "I care about Yugi too, Luna."

"I know, Jounouchi, I _know_." Luna assured hurriedly. "I just don't want to make it seem like we're ambushing him."

"So why can't _I_ be there too?" Jounouchi grumbled, Luna wincing. She fell silent for a moment, trying to come up with the right words. Jounouchi huffed, crossing his arms. "You still don't trust me."

"Jounouchi, if I didn't, I wouldn't be talking to you about this." Luna sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Come on, you _know_ Yugi-kun as well as I do. Why do _you_ think he didn't tell you what's going on with him?"

Jounouchi scowled at that, mumbling something.

"What was that?" Luna said, raising an eyebrow, Jounouchi giving a dramatic sigh.

"Because he doesn't want to _bother_ me or whatever." Jounouchi admitted, looking annoyed. "He's not _bothering_ me. I know we got off the wrong start, but Yugi should know this!"

"This whole friend thing is new to him. New to us!" Luna replied, although she could sympathize. "Look, I even talked to Anzu-chan about it. She thought it would be a good idea for me to talk to Yugi-kun."

"Why can't Anzu do it?" Jounouchi asked. "No offense, but she knew him longer."

Luna waved it away, not feeling offended.

"Yeah, actually, that's what I originally wanted too." Luna replied, the two of them stopping at the library. Might as well solidify the alibi. "But Anzu-chan said that she's busy today with something. Helping out a family friend, she told me." Luna frowned. Anzu was definitely hiding something too, but it didn't seem to be _too_ worrying.

"That's weird." Jounouchi muttered, Luna nodding in agreement. Finally, the male sighed, scratching the back of his head in irritation. "Agh!" He exclaimed, getting shushed by the librarian. Luna gave an apologetic bow as they stopped in front of the isles.

"What do you think will be a good book?" Luna found herself asking, Jounouchi raising an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. "Fine, pick a random one so we can get back to our classroom."

Jounouchi gave the bookshelves a considering glance, holding out a pointer finger and waving it around before it settled on one.

"There's the lucky shelf." Jounouchi said with a flourish, Luna rolling her eyes. She gave a sarcastic bow in thanks, Jounouchi snorting as she perused the choices

"Seriously though, Jounouchi," Luna murmured. These were all history books, which was something Luna had some interest in. "If you really want to, we can ask Yugi-kun together."

"Tch," Jounouchi replied. Luna gave him a glower, seeing Jounouchi lean against the shelf, staring down at the tiles. "I hate that you're probably right, that's all. I just…wish I could do more than just wait." There was something pained about the way he said it, making Luna stare at Jounouchi in concern. He wasn't looking at her however, only crossing his arms tightly. Looking at something that Luna couldn't see.

"Jounouchi, I promise I won't leave you in the dark." Luna said solemnly. Jounouchi snapped to attention as Luna chose a book about the Sengoku time period. She had a passing interest of that era when she was younger. Although that was mainly because her mother had shown her an old fantasy romance anime that was set in that time.

"You swear?" Jounouchi asked, Luna holding up a pinkie.

"Pinkie swear." She replied, seeing Jounouchi give the pinkie a dubious look.

"What are we, ten?" He asked sarcastically. Despite this, he held his hand up to cross pinkies with her.

"Thanks, Jounouchi," Luna said gratefully, Jounouchi shrugging.

"Don't worry about it."

"Hey, Yugi-kun." Luna began nervously, walking up to Yugi as they left the building. She winced when Yugi froze, looking like a deer in the headlights when she came walking up. "Uh, listen, I was just…wondering if everything really is okay?"

Yugi flinched, looking down. Luna felt her heart sink as she mentally hit herself.

 _Ease into it gently_ , Anzu had warned her.

Well, she messed that up real quick.

"Yugi-kun…" Luna said, reaching out to grasp his shoulder. She felt him tense. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound so…bad. I'm just worried, that's all. I want to help you. Same as Jounouchi and Anzu-chan…"

To her surprise, Yugi began to tremble and Luna felt her heart sink. She just made her friend cry, and she would _never_ forgive herself for it.

"Oh man, Yugi-kun, I'm sorry…" Luna said immediately, Yugi shaking his head.

"No!" He almost yelled, dropping his voice as he rubbed his eyes. "No, it's not…I'm just grateful. To have you guys as my friends. I just…something happened this morning and I don't know what to do…"

Luna wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"Want to come over?" She suggested, the idea popping into her head suddenly. Yugi stared at her in surprise. "Don't worry, my uncle will be fine with it. I have all kinds of food that might cheer you up…oh and you can check out my Duel Monster's deck!"

"R-Really?" Yugi said quietly, looking nervous. Luna nodded. Yugi gave a small smile, nodding. Luna pumped her fist up in triumph, her heart thumping wildly.

"Come on, it's this way." Luna said, pointing down the street. "You can use my cellphone to tell your Grandpa."

"W-Whoa…"

Luna rubbed the back of her head as Yugi stared up at the apartment complex. His purple eyes were wide with awe, almost tipping over with how far back he was going.

"Lu-Luna-chan, you live here?" Yugi asked numbly, Luna seeing him try to count the floor with his pointer finger.

"Yeah…it's the penthouse, if you're wondering." Luna admitted, seeing Yugi pause in his counting. "The fortieth floor." She pointed to the top.

"Luna-chan, is your family…" Yugi asked as they entered the building, bowing to the security guards.

"Rich? Uh, yeah." Luna sighed. She fidgeted with her Bracelets a bit, ignoring Yugi's look. Once they got into the elevator, Luna pressed the button for her floor. She forced herself to meet Yugi's gaze. " _Abi,_ my father…he's sort of…a big deal. I guess. My uncle helps handle the Japanese branch of his company."

"Woah…" Yugi repeated. "Luna-chan, that's so cool!"

Luna felt a smile tug at her lips, the nervousness quelling at Yugi's enthusiasm.

"Thanks…but uhm, can we…keep this from the others for a bit?" Luna asked, feeling a bit like a hypocrite. Yugi's eyebrows furrowed as the elevator came to a stop, opening up to a hallway. His attention was redirected at the window that was to the right of the elevator entrance. Showcasing the ground from forty floors up.

"We're so high!" Yugi gaped, pressing against the glass tentatively. "Luna-chan, why don't you want to tell the others? This is so amazing!"

"I know, but… well actually I _don't_ know I just want to wait a while before I tell them I'm…rich." Luna said, face pulling a bit. Yugi looked away from the glass to stare at her in confusion. "I don't want to make it seem like I'm flaunting. Or bragging. Don't worry though I _do_ plan on telling them."

"Promise?" Yugi asked, holding out a pinkie. Luna laughed at the sudden déjà vu, wrapping her pinkie with Yugi's.

"Promise. Now come on, my uncle has about another hour before he has to get to work, and I'm sure he wants to meet you." Luna said, walking up the hallway.

" _Khal-Iman?"_ Luna said, unlocking the door. Yugi giggled when they heard the sound of papers rustling and footsteps hitting against the carpet.

" _Zahra, do you know where I put my notes for the presentation today?"_ Her uncle called back, Luna and Yugi being greeted to the sight of Iman looking under the couch. _"I swear, I had it this morning…god the shareholders will hold a fit."_

"Iman, I brought home a guest." Luna said in amusement, Yugi giggling. Her uncle looked over his shoulder.

"Ah, Yugi-san!" Iman said, standing up. He bowed in greeting, Yugi bowing back. "So nice to see you! Sorry, if I knew you were coming over, I would have prepared some food or something. Actually, I think there still is some leftovers in the fridge and basbousa."

"Bas-what?" Yugi said, Luna grinning.

"A type of sweet cake. Basbousa is what you call it in Egypt." Luna explained, seeing Yugi repeat in with some wonder. " _Khal, I thought you sent the notes to your assistant. So that they could copy it at the office while you got everything ready here?"_

Her uncle Iman paused, slapping his forehead with a muttered curse.

" _Oh Ra, you're right."_ Iman muttered, grabbing the hangar with his coat. " _Well, that was ten minutes of worry absolutely wasted. Thank you, Zahra."_ He leaned down to kiss her forehead before smiling at her and Yugi. "Right, well, I'll leave you kids to do homework. Will you need a ride home Yugi-san?"

"Uh, it's no trouble!" Yugi immediately said, although Luna was certain that his grandfather didn't own a car. She tried to convey this to her uncle, who caught on quickly

"Well, with any luck, the meeting will be over before nine, so I can easily drop you off." Iman assured, patting Yugi's shoulder with a slight grin. "Thank you, for looking after my niece for me. I know Luna can be quite the handful."

" _Iman_ ," Luna pouted, looking at Yugi in betrayal when he snorted.

"It's no problem Tsukino-san." Yugi said. Her uncle only gave a wider smile, winking.

"Call me Iman." He said. "Tsukino is the surname from my step-brother's side of the family." Yugi nodded quickly, Iman chuckling as he grabbed his keys. " _Call me if anything happens Zahra."_

" _Love you khal. Take care."_ Luna replied with a wave, Iman shooting them another grin before he left.

"That was really confusing." Yugi admitted. Luna shrugged.

"You can see how easy it would be to slip up." Luna replied, putting her bag on the ground. "Now, want to try some sweet cake?"

"Yeah!"

The next hour was spent with them tackling homework. Luna had to admit that it was nice having someone over to discuss assignments with. Usually, the best she had to go on was her notes and her school books. Occasionally she'd ask her uncle if he wasn't too tired after work. Having another classmate made things a bit easier, although they failed epically when they were both stumped on a problem.

Yugi had also taken to the basbousa. It was really funny to see his face light up when he tried a piece. It was even funnier when he kept trying to say the name.

"Bassubossua." He would say. Luna held in her giggles this time. She knew Yugi was trying his hardest to say the name of the confectionary. Besides, Japanese had a weird system of lengthening the sounds of its alphabet with foreign words.

"It's a bit quicker than that. You don't lengthen the su." Luna corrected. "And for the second part, it does more like bu, not bo."

"Basubusa." Yugi attempted again, Luna grinning.

"Close enough." She replied, Yugi cheering. "Anyway, we're done with homework and I think you've had your fair share of basbousa."

"Which means Duel Monsters! Oh, and I've been meaning to tell you about this card that my Grandpa showed me." Yugi added, Luna stretching. They spent the little study session sitting on the ground in the living room.

"Wait right here while I get them." Luna said, seeing Yugi grab another slice of basbousa. With a giggle, she went down the hallway of the penthouse to her room. Luna went to her closet, opening it and standing on her tip toes as she grabbed the box with her Duel Monster cards. "Found them!" Luna yelled, hearing Yugi cheer as she opened the box, looking at the back of the cards fondly.

"Wow, a full deck." Yugi muttered as Luna took out her deck.

"Yeah…" Luna murmured, laying them down to showcase the cards. "This one is Osiris…this one is King Tut…oh, and this one is Horus…"

"They sound familiar." Yugi mused, Luna snorting.

"They should, they're all fashioned after Egyptian mythos and history." Luna explained. "Some of them are gods and deities while the rest are old pharaohs." She blinked, seeing the Millennium Puzzle glow for a moment. For a second, she was positive she saw Yami standing next to Yugi, staring down at the cards.

"Luna-chan?" Yugi asked, Luna rubbing her eyes.

"Uh…sorry, thought I saw something…" Luna replied. The vision was gone, although she felt her Bracelets burning. "A-Anyway, there's still some cards I'm trying to find."

"Must be hard," Yugi said with a sympathetic grin. "Grandpa says it takes a lot of patience for someone to build a deck with a specific image in mind."

"It is. Gods, I used to lose a lot because I refused to use any other type of deck." Luna groaned. "My mom used to say it was her fault for telling me so many stories about the old gods and the pharaohs. When I found out that the cards for it existed, you can imagine the mess that followed."

Yugi giggled, picking up the cards to read their inscriptions.

"Which ones your favorite?" Yugi asked, Luna pausing.

"I have two." She admitted, picking up the cards. "Isis. She's known as the Queen of the Heavens." Luna showed the Spellcaster monster to Yugi an image of a woman in a dress with wings that shimmered in different colors. She wore a headdress with an ankh, a symbol of life, while holding a cane. "It…it was my mom's card."

"Was?" Yugi repeated, Luna looking away. "…I'm sorry Luna-chan."

"No…it's fine." Luna said, clearing her throat. "The other card is the very first monster I managed to get when I got into Duel Monsters." The card depicted a woman with long dark hair, wearing a headdress with a golden feather. The woman also had wings of pure white as she held a scale in her hand. "Ma'at, known as the goddess of truth and order."

Yugi stared at it in interest.

"This card has always felt…right." Luna explained feebly. "Is that weird?"

Yugi shook his head. "No, I know what you mean. Still, these are some pretty strong cards. It would be so cool to see them in action one day."

"I'll hold you to a duel then." Luna said with a grin, Yugi nodding his head rapidly. He stared at the cards for a moment, his free hand going to his pocket.

"Luna-chan…" Yugi said quietly, Luna looking up from her cards. "I…I think I'm ready to tell you about what happened."

"I'm gonna _murder_ that punk Souzouji!" Jounouchi roared. Luna and Yugi grabbed onto an arm to prevent their friend from running to school and throttling another student. It was an honest bit of luck that Luna had managed to run into Yugi _and_ Jounouchi the next morning on her way to school. She had to walk to school because her uncle had an early morning meeting.

Still, Luna could understand Jounouchi's anger. When Yugi had told her of his predicament, her first thought was to find this Souzouji guy, grab him by the jacket and slam his face into his stupid boombox. She heard about the unfortunate incident with his last three victims – er, _audience_ – ranging from a deaf ear to literal bedrest.

The only thing stopping her was Yugi's look of worry. She knew that he would never forgive himself if Souzouji actually managed to do something in retaliation. It had taken longer for her to convince Yugi to tell _Jounouchi_ , never mind the others.

"J-Jounouchi, you can't. You'll get in trouble…" Yugi murmured, lips pursed. "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

To her absolute relief, Jounouchi managed to reign it in enough to give Yugi a pat on the back.

"Hey, its fine. What matters is you told." Jounouchi assured, although he shot the school entrance a dark look. "Although, I'd risk the trouble from the teachers."

"Souzouji is a menace." Luna added, rubbing her forehead. "How can he possibly think people would want to go to karaoke with him when he has a track record of ruining people's hearing?"

"What about him?"

The three of them jumped as Anzu walked up, looking concerned. Yugi's face flushed as Luna and Jounouchi shared a look. When they explained the situation to Jounouchi, Yugi had made it very clear he didn't want Anzu to know.

"He's been handing out tickets again." Jounouchi replied nervously, Anzu raising an eyebrow. "You know, for his stupid show."

"Ugh," Anzu grimaced. "That guy is _such_ a creep. He tried selling tickets for five-thousand yen last time." She paused, looking at Yugi with narrowed eyes. "Is that what's being going on? Did Souzouji pressure you into coming to one of his shows?"

"N-No, Anzu-chan!" Yugi immediately replied. "No…it's just…" Luna saw Yugi's hands go back into his jacket pocket. "I've been having a hard time with my homework, that's all. B-But its fine! Luna-chan and I managed to exchange notes when I went to her apartment yesterday!"

Luna stared at Yugi in disbelief, schooling the expression when Anzu looked to her for confirmation.

"Yeah," Luna said. Well, it wasn't a _lie_. "Uh, we spent an hour crying over math and history before we got around to playing some games." Yugi gave a sigh of relief behind Anzu's back, nodding at her gratefully. Jounouchi only looked tense. They all waited for the pin to drop, Anzu frowning.

"Well…if that's what's going on." Anzu said after a moment. She turned her head, Luna leaning against Jounouchi to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Close one." Jounouchi muttered. Luna nodded.

"We should all do a study group some time. The four of us with Honda-kun and Miho-chan." Anzu offered. Yugi nodded rapidly, smiling nervously.

"We can do it at my place," Luna offered, seeing Yugi's smile brighten. "It's big enough. My uncle has been insistent on meeting you guys anyway."

Anzu smiled, winking.

"Can't wait! I'll be sure to bring it up with Miho-chan." Anzu said, walking forward. "Now come on, we have to get to class before the morning bell rings."

"Thanks Luna-chan…" Yugi said quietly. Luna gave a small grin.

"This just means you owe me, Yugi-kun." She replied back, just as quietly, Yugi giggling. Jounouchi only rolled his eyes.

"Seriously though, what do we do about Souzouji." Jounouchi said, frowning. "There's no way I'm letting you go to one of his ear torture concerts."

"I d-don't know." Yugi replied after they all exchanged their shoes. "S-Souzouji was pretty clear what would happen if I don't sell any tickets…"

"No one is going to buy those tickets. Even if he _was_ decent, those the cost is ridiculous." Luna interjected. "Two thousand yen? I could spend that one something better, like ten packs of Duel Monster cards."

"Or a good meal at burger world." Jounouchi added.

"Or five packs of Duel Monster cards _and_ a meal at Burger World." Yugi said, Luna snorting while Jounouchi laughed. "But I don't think Souzouji-kun will like that explanation."

"We can _make_ him." Jounouchi offered, Luna thinking it over.

" _Guys!"_ Yugi exclaimed, Luna wincing.

"Okay, okay, no use of brute force." Luna promised, elbowing Jounouchi. "Promise Yugi-kun"

"Ow! Oh come on, not even a little?"

Another jab.

"Damn it woman!" Jounouchi groaned, rubbing his side. Yugi gave him a pleading look, Jounouchi frowning. "Not the _face_ , don't give me that face, I _hate_ that face…" Yugi's pleading look only looked more bemused, Luna laughing as Jounouchi looked more conflicted. "You don't even know the – _ugh_ , fine! _Fine_. No brute force or whatever, just _stop_ with that look."

Yugi gave them a relieved smile, Luna sighing. She looked into her bag, searching for her wallet.

"I'll pay for a stupid ticket." Luna muttered, hearing Jounouchi's grumbles break off in a choke.

" _What?!"_ Yugi and Jounouchi cried, looking incredulous. Jonouchi looked ready to feint when Luna took out a two crisp thousand note yen from a wallet. She placed the money in Yugi's hand and snatched a slip of paper.

"If we can't beat him…" Luna replied, staring at the paper in disgust. "Man, I hope my uncle doesn't find out."

"Wait, wait, Luna-chan, I can't…" Yugi began, Jounouchi pulling them to the side.

"Yes, you can. You're offering out a product. I purchased that product." Luna replied easily, slipping the ticket to her wallet. "That's business. And now you have one less ticket to worry about. In any case, it might soothe Souzouji's idiot ass."

"Wait…" Jounouchi grumbled. He took a ticket from Yugi as well. "I'll give you the money tomorrow. But I'm not letting you two do this alone."

"But –" Yugi tried to argue, Jounouchi waving it off. The blond looked a bit nervous, Luna seeing him mouth the words 'two thousand' under his breath.

"In any case, if it's as bad as people _say_ it is," Jounouchi said boldly. "I can punch Souzouji's lights out _and_ I wouldn't be able to get in trouble from the teachers!"

"Oooh, good point." Luna said, snapping her fingers. "You go for the gut and I go for the head when he's down?"

"I say we both punch him in the throat and the ears." Jounouchi replied. They stared grinning when Yugi began laughing a bit, looking at them in gratitude.

"Thanks guys."

It was break, and Luna had decided to go back to the library to return the history book she borrowed the other day. Still, when she entered the library, she felt as if someone was watching her.

Instinctively, she touched her wrist, the wadjet glinting under her sleeve. Her Millennium Bracelets managed to calm her down. Looking around, Luna could see that there was only a couple of kids in the library. Some of them from the other class.

"Uhm…Luna-san?"

Luna almost jumped, turning to see Hanasaki, her classmate, walk up to her nervously.

"Oh…Hi Hanasaki-san." Luna said, a bit bemused. Hanasaki was a quiet one in class. He almost reminded her of Yugi, in a way. Luna had always seen him tucked at his desk, or in the library, reading a comic.

Hanasaki seemed to tremble as he stood in front of her, fidgeting nervously.

"Is…everything okay?" Luna said. A weird sense of déjà vu passed as Hanasaki stuffed his hand into his jacket.

"I was wondering…would you be willing to buy a ticket?" Hanasaki asked softly, Luna staring in surprise as he brought out a flimsy piece of paper. Luna recognized the writing, the same paper in her bag. "Uhm…It's to Souzouji's show…"

Luna gaped a bit, trying to process what she was seeing. _Hanasaki_ was also being coerced into selling tickets?

"How many tickets do you need to sell?" Luna asked, Hanasaki wincing.

"F-Five…" He admitted, his hand trembling. "Please, it would help me a lot if you could…"

Luna felt her heart break at the tremble in Hanasaki's tone. Five tickets, each two thousand yen. Ten-thousand-yen total. She had enough from saved up allowance.

Luna looked at Hanasaki's hopeful face, and she sighed.

"Give them to me." She said, Hanasaki staring at her in surprise. "I don't have the money on me right now, but I can buy all of them."

"A-All?" Hanasaki repeated. Luna nodded, Hanasaki's face lighting up.

"I can take the tickets from you. Souzouji shouldn't complain. He's getting money out of it."

"T-Thank you!" Hanasaki squeaked, looking close to tears. Luna could only scratch the back of her head as Hanasaki gave her the tickets.

How was she going to explain this?

She couldn't. The fact that she had six tickets in her bag weighed on her by the time the weekend came over. Jounouchi had given Yugi two thousand yen with a look of pride, while Luna could only squirm in her seat. Now she had six flimsy strips of paper lying on her desk as Luna got ready for the show.

" _Zahra, you say you're going out for karaoke?"_ Her uncle asked, popping his head into the door. Luna looked up from the clothes she had laid on her bed.

" _Yeah. I'll be home before ten."_ Luna assured, her uncle's eyebrows furrowing.

" _And…it will be with classmates?"_ He asked, Luna struggling to stop herself from fidgeting.

" _Yugi and Jounouchi will be there. Along with some people from class C."_ Luna replied. She looked to her clothes, picking them up by the hangar. " _What do you think, the white blouse or the grey long sleeve?"_ Anything to distract her uncle.

" _Long sleeve. Japan can get cold at night."_ Her uncle said immediately, although he didn't look deterred. " _I can drop you off."_

" _No it's fine. I can get there by foot, khal-Iman."_ Luna replied. " _I'm meeting up with Jounouchi and Yugi anyway."_

" _Oh…well then call me so I can pick you three up."_ Her uncle said. Luna figured that was the best she could hope for.

" _Of course."_ She nodded, grabbing the long sleeve. " _Now, privacy please?"_

Her uncle rolled his eyes, closing the door. Luna sighed in relief as she changed into denim jeans and the long-sleeved gray shirt. The Bracelets glinted from their place on her wrist, looking a bit weird in comparison with the rest of her clothes. Luna sighed, pulling her hair up in a bun as she grabbed a bag.

The bag was a one shoulder, Luna stuffing her house keys, cell, wallet and tickets before slinging it on. She gave herself a once over in the mirror before she headed out, kissing her uncle on the cheek.

" _I'll text you when I get there!"_ Luna said as she put on boots that reached to her ankles. _"See you!"_

" _Be careful!"_ Her uncle called back.

"I'll try." Luna muttered under her breath.

She had to admit that the establishment was nice. The name stood out in big neon letters, making an impression in the heart of downtown Domino. Luna did have to admit that it was a bit painful to look at after a while.

"Luna-chan!"

Luna smiled as Yugi and Jounouchi came running up. Yugi was dressed in his school clothes while Jounouchi opted to go for a white T with a print on it and jeans. They both looked up at the karaoke place with some apprehension.

"Alright people, I wrote out my will before we came here and got a nice meal." Jounouchi announced, chest puffing up. "If anything happens, know that you two made for great friends."

"Jounouchi-kun, it won't be _that_ bad…" Yugi attempted to assure, although even he winced at the feebleness of his sentence.

"Tell that to the last three students who had to sit through Souzouji's show." Luna replied. "And now there's three more names to add to the list."

Yugi didn't answer as they entered the room, Jounouchi asking for the room that Souzouji rented for the night. Luna fidgeted, knowing she'd had to tell them what happened with her and Hanasaki.

"Um, there's something you guys need to know." Luna said as the attendant looked up the room. Jounuochi and Yugi stared at her curiously. "Hanasaki-san was also selling tickets."

" _What?!"_ They exclaimed. Luna rubbed the back of her neck.

"Y-Yeah, he had to sell five tickets for Souzouji." Luna explained, Yugi blinking. Jounouchi only looked confused as Yugi gasped.

"Luna-chan…you _didn't_." Yugi said, Luna letting her shoulders drop. She shifted the strap of her bag so she could unzip it and take out the tickets. Jounouchi stared at them with wide eyes.

"You _bought_ all five?!" He gaped. Quickly, he held up his hands as he calculated the cost. "That's…that's…ten thousand. Luna, don't tell me you have…"

Wordlessly, Luna took out her wallet and gave it to Jounouchi, who counted the money.

"Holy _shit_." He muttered, Yugi looking worried.

"I couldn't leave Hanasaki-san hanging." Luna tried to explain, although she winced. "Besides, Souzouji still gets the money."

"Luna-chan, I'm so sorry…" Yugi muttered, Luna raising a hand.

"Hey, how's this your fault? It's my money, so I made the decision to buy it." Luna replied. Jounouchi only shook his head.

"It's a waste, spending it all on Souzouji." Jounouchi said in distaste but he handed the wallet back. "But it's cool what you did for Hanasaki."

"Sorry I couldn't do the same for you, Yugi-kun." Luna said with a wince. Yugi shook his head reverently.

"Don't be! At least Hansaki-san won't have to go through this either." Yugi said. "Besides, asking you to buy all ten of the tickets would have been too much to ask. I'm just worried about how your uncle will take it."

Jounouchi grimaced.

"Um, excuse me?" They looked to the attendant, who gave them the room number. "It's the biggest room at the end."

"Thank you." Luna said, the woman nodding. She walked backwards to look at her friend's faces. "And all that money is saved up allowance."

"Seriously?" Jounouchi said, narrowing his eyes. "What, does your uncle make you do jobs or something?"

"No, I just have…well, this bank account…" Luna began to clarify, seeing Jounouchi's eyebrows shoot upwards. "It's like a trust fund. Thing. My dad started it sometime ago. He puts in like, a few hundred every month. It was so I would stop asking him for a game for my birthday...or any games really…" She felt her cheeks heat up as Jounouchi stared at her in complete awe.

"Luna-chan's family is rich." Yugi mentioned quietly. Jounouchi continued to stare.

"That's…really insane." Jounouchi began, Luna flinching. "Not a bad thing! Just…wow. You're rich. Like, legit rich. That's…really lucky."

"Yeah…" Luna said, even though it didn't feel lucky sometimes. "I didn't want to tell you guys because…well…you know. The whole, trust fund kid thing. I didn't want to seem like I'm bragging."

"Good thing too." Jounouchi snorted. "It would have been hard for us to get along if I knew that. I don't know if you know this, but I can be a bit of a jerk."

Yugi giggled as the stopped in front of the karaoke room. Luna only rolled her eyes.

" _Really?"_ Luna quipped, Jounouchi grinning. "Wow, I mean we hit it off so well, I would have never guessed."

Souzouji stared at the three of them with disdain. The bulk of the anger was directed to Yugi. Something that Luna didn't appreciate. She could see that Jounouchi didn't either, and was glowering at Souzouji darkly.

It was a bit ridiculous when Souzouji was wearing a white leather fringed suit with flame accented bell bottoms.

"I said I wanted a six to four ratio on girls to boys." Souzouji growled to Yugi. Yugi only shrunk back. "Instead you bring me one girl, and this punk Jounouchi?!"

" _Who's_ a –" Jounouchi immediately retorted, Luna placing a hand on his arm. Jounouchi scowled, crossing his arms. "I'm here to support Yugi here, Souzouji. It's not my fault your prices are stupid anyways."

Souzouji only glowered back.

"Fine, in that case this will be an all-night live show of _blood."_ Souzouji declared, throwing them all headphones. "Here, it'll let you hear my dulcet tones better."

Luna seriously doubted that, but took them either way. She shared a worried look with Yugi and Jounouchi. Slowly, Luna put on the headphones, seeing Jounouchi give Souzouji a warning glare. Yugi only trembled. She watched as Souzouji turned the volume of his mic up to max, a sinking feeling in her chest.

"Wait – "Luna began, attempting to take the headphones off. The next thing she knew, she heard nothing but a screech. She couldn't even make out the words. The ringing seemed to bounce around in her head, Luna only just realizing that she fell to her knees with a cry.

To her horror, even her _vision_ was blurry. Blinking rapidly, Luna could see Jounouchi holding the headphones, grimacing. It looked as if he was trying to take the headphones off, but was too off footed to do so. Yugi was in a similar state of pain, staring at Souzouji with some disbelief.

Finally, the screeching stopped, Luna gasping in relief. Souzouji seemed to be saying something.

"S-Souzouji…"

Luna looked to see Jounouchi glaring at Souzouji, trying to get up off the ground but stumbling. With what just happened, Luna was surprised that Jounouchi even _attempted_ to stand. The room seemed to shift on its axis.

"Let's…our special…guest!" Luna could hear, the ringing still in her ears. She looked on in some bemusement as Souzouji pulled back the curtain.

"Hanasaki-san!" Luna gasped, standing up so quickly it gave her a sense of vertigo. "W-What did you do?"

"Well, Hanasaki here told me he handed all of his tickets to _you_." Souzouji sneered. "I decided I would teach him the lesson for taking the easy way out."

"I have the money for it!" Luna argued as Yugi and Jounouchi checked their classmate. She was horrified to see bruises on his face. Souzouji only raised an eyebrow as Luna took out the money from her wallet. "See? Ten thousand yen accounted for! If there's anyone you have to blame it's me!"

"Luna!' Jounouchi argued immediately, standing up as Souzouji took the money out of her hands. "Souzouji, give back that money! You don't deserve it after what you did to Hanasaki!"

"He broke the deal the minute he chose to take your pretty friend here on her deal…still…" Souzouji said, raising an eyebrow. "Where'd you get this kind of cash?"

"None of your business. You got your money for the tickets. Let Hanasaki out of here." Luna retorted immediately.

"N…No…"

Luna turned to see Hanasaki blinking up at her solemnly. Yugi placed a hand on his shoulder, looking worried.

"Hanasaki-san…" Luna whispered. "I'm so sorry, if I knew this would happen…I was trying to help"

"It's my fault…" Hanasaki argued. "I shouldn't have accepted the offer. I'm sorry."

"Souzouji, you _bastard_ ," Jounouchi yelled, throwing a punch. Luna could see Souzouji grin as he brought the mic to his lips. She cried out as he belted out a terrible screech, Jounouchi stumbling. He hadn't taken of his headphones. She saw Souzouji raise the mic stand over Jounouchi. She moved without thinking, raising her arms up as the mic stand came slamming down on her.

"Luna-chan!"

Luna could feel tears prickle as a painful sensation erupted from her arms, Jounouchi looking surprised. She stumbled, feeling someone catch her. Luna didn't even have to look at who it was, seeing her the wadjet of her Bracelets glow.

"How dare you make my friends suffer!" Yami's voice yelled out, outraged. The headphones hung around his neck, purple eyes alight in hatred. "I won't let you torture them any longer!"

Luna stared at Yami as he held her.

"Are you alright?" Yami asked softly, Luna looking to where Jounouchi and Hanasaki were. Hanasaki was out cold while Jounouchi stared in confusion.

"F-Fine…" Luna replied, wincing. "My ears are ringing. Just…be careful, okay?"

Yami only gave her a soft smile in reply, nodding. He took her by the waist, letting Jounouchi take her before turning to Souzouji.

"Luna…I think I'm hallucinating…" Jounouchi said as Yami taunted Souzouji. He was blinking rapidly, Luna noticing that he was swaying a bit, despite sitting up from the floor. "That's…that's Yugi…right?"

"I don't really know." Luna replied. Jounouchi only nodded back, Luna reaching out when he slumped forward.

"I…I think I need some rest…" Jounouchi mumbled. "God, why is everything _ringing_ …"

"Man, this is going to be hard to explain…" Luna muttered as Jounouchi fell unconscious. His whole body weight was against her as Luna tried to maneuver him to lay on the ground. Making sure that Jounouchi and Hanasaki were at least breathing regularly, she turned back to Yami and Souzouji. Yami was in the middle of explaining the game using two Sound Pierrot toys.

Luna didn't know why there were there, but she chalked it up to the weird mystical magic that had been appearing since she met Yami. To her great amusement, the game was one of silence. Both Yami and Souzouji had to keep quiet with the SP toy in front of them. Whoever made the clown dance in front of them would lose.

Of course, Yami offered up his own life if he lost.

Luna pressed her lips together as Souzouji took off his shades, the two sitting on opposite ends of the table. She honestly wondered how Yami was going to win this one.

 _ **Game Start**_

It was like a Mexican standoff. Both Yami and Souzouji were completely quiet as they stared each other down. The only difference was that in movies, those kinds of things had music accompanying the standoff to make it seem more epic.

This one was just anxiety-inducing. The silence was almost jarring in comparison to how loud it was earlier with Souzouji's singing. The Sound Pierrot toys stood motionless in front of the contestants like some weird gatekeeper.

Luna couldn't see how Yami would win this. The smallest of sound from anyone of them would result in a loss. There was no way for Yami to _make_ Souzouji lose. But she seriously doubted that the game would last the whole night.

Then she heard. A rhythmic thumping.

Luna blinked in confusion as the thumping noise began to quicken. It sounded like…a heartbeat!

She stared at the speaker for a moment in shock before looking at Yami's triumphant gaze as the Sound Pierrot started dancing. _Souzouji's_ Sound Pierrot.

"That's the sound of your heartbeat!" Yami exclaimed to Souzouji's astounded face.

"That's right…he maxed out the volume of that thing." Luna realized. She searched the table to see what would make Souzouji's heart beat so fast that the mike would be able to hear it.

She stopped when she spotted the jack of Yami's headphones balancing perilously on a glass of water.

"Even in the midst of trouble, you don't lay down your mike, a habit that has brought your downfall!" Yami declared with an impish grin. His forehead began to glow with a golden wadjet as Yami pointed to Souzouji. "Beat Festival!"

Luna watched as Souzouji attempted to cover his ears with a cry, looking as if he was hearing something horrible. Yami stood over him, rifling through Souzouji's jacket.

"When one listens to music with a fast beat, their heart can speed up to match it." Yami explained, turning around. He took Hanasaki, while Luna took Jounouchi. "Now you can hear your own heart rock out to the tune of eight beats. How's that for human karaoke?"

 _ **Game Over**_

"That was…really fitting." Luna admitted as they waited outside the karaoke place. She had called her uncle and explained the situation at hand. "Also a bit terrifying. Did you set up the headphone jack before the game?"

Yami only shrugged, Jounouchi and Hanasaki sleeping softly against the wall.

"I had to take a chance with that. I needed something that would make him get excited." Yami admitted, Luna raising an eyebrow. He only smirked back, before digging into his pocket. "I believe this belongs to you."

Luna sighed in relief as Yami handed her the money she spent on Souzouji's tickets. He also kneeled down to give Jounouchi his money back.

"That was a pretty bold thing you did, buying out Hanasaki's tickets." Yami said, Luna groaning.

"It only made things worse. Gods, I feel like an idiot." Luna said. Yami shook his head.

"You did what you thought would help out Hanasaki, even though you didn't know him that well." Yami replied. "I doubt Hanasaki or Jounouchi would blame you."

"Please, you were more help than I was." Luna replied. "But…thanks, for what you did."

"Well, I wouldn't be a very good knight if my friends and fair maiden were in danger, now would I?" Yami replied back with a smirk, Luna flushing.

"I prefer calling you Yami." Luna replied, seeing Yami's smirk become soft. He opened his mouth to reply when Luna's cell rang.

"Hey, uncle," Luna said, picking up immediately. "Are you here? Because I don't see the-"

" _Hello Luna."_

She choked on her sentence, seeing Yami stare at her in concern. Luna stared at him, kicking herself mentally. How could she forget about her dad calling? Why _now_?!

"D-Dad!" Luna said. Yami paused, his stare becoming observant. Luna quickly turned around, trying to create some semblance of privacy. She quickly switched to English. " _Sorry, I thought you were Iman. Um…h-how are you doing?"_

She heard something on the end. It sounded like typing. Luna figured that her dad was at the office.

" _Busy."_ Her dad replied succinctly. The typing started up again, Luna falling silent. Her dad didn't usually listen when he was working. " _And? Have you been holding up your end of the deal?"_

" _Of course!"_ Luna replied immediately. She shifted so that she was crossing her arms, ignoring the stare she could feel from Yami. " _My grades are doing well. I was lucky to transfer in the beginning of the year. I…I even made some friends."_

" _I was told you got into some trouble."_ Her dad replied, sounding dubious. Luna frowned.

" _No, nothing like that! I didn't get into a fight; my friend was in trouble. I had to help."_ Luna retorted. She heard her father sigh.

" _Your friend got in trouble with a television studio?"_ Her dad interjected, Luna pausing. _"Did they recognize you?"_

Luna fell silent, hearing the typing pause on the other end.

" _Luna."_ Her father prompted.

" _They didn't get anything from me alright! Besides they were overcome by a freak meltdown and uncle already pressed charges!"_ Luna argued. Her father huffed on the other end.

" _I sent you to Japan so that we no longer have those kinds of incidents."_ Her father replied.

" _How was I supposed to know people still cared about old news."_ Luna replied.

" _They care when the CEO of Tsukino Tech has a daughter who only seems to get into trouble."_ Her father stated impatiently. " _They all think that you acting out is a result of what happened with your –"_

Luna bit her lip at her father fell silent.

" _I know what they think."_ Luna muttered as her father took a deep breath. _"It's not true."_

" _Isn't it?"_ Her father asked blandly. _"Because it's starting to be clear that transferring you to a different country seems to be failing."_

" _No! That's not what's happening, I promise."_ Luna pleaded. _"Iman will vouch for me! I'm not deliberately getting myself into trouble. I'm doing a good job in school! I've made new friends!"_

" _Something you might want to reconsider if they're getting you into fights."_ Her father said dryly, Luna groaning in frustration.

" _You're not_ listening _to me!"_ Luna exclaimed.

" _Don't take that tone with me."_ Her father warned, Luna biting her lip. _"Luna, I'm doing what's best for you. For us. But I can't do that when you're being disagreeable."_

" _I'm not…"_ Luna began to argue, breaking off when her father sighed. She gripped her phone. " _Fine. I'll be more careful. I don't want to leave. Please."_

" _Very well. I'll call you next month to check up."_ Her father replied, ending the call. Luna let her hand drop, staring at her phone.

"Love you too, dad." Luna muttered, resisting the urge to throw her phone.

"Everything okay?"

She rubbed her eyes as Yami placed a hand on her shoulder, sounding concerned.

"Fine. Everything's fine." Luna replied quickly. She blinked when she felt something fall from her eyes.

"Luna, are you-"

"I see my uncle's car," Luna interrupted, pushing Yami's hand away. She breathed deeply. "You should change back before he sees."

"Luna…"

"Yami just…just go." Luna said softly. She refused to turn around, hearing Yami sigh. Her Bracelets flashed, Luna feeling a warmth bask her back. Looking behind her to see Yugi almost fall to the ground. She caught him quickly.

" _Zahra, there you are…"_ Her uncle paused as he stared at her holding Yugi in her arms, her crying face and Jounouchi and Hanasaki lying unconscious. " _Oh gods, what happened."_

" _One of our classmates was really bad at karaoke so we bailed."_ Luna replied as she helped her uncle bring the three boys into the car. " _Oh, and abi called."_

She ignored the sharp intake that her uncle took, taking the shotgun seat. Luna tried to ignore the stinging sensation she felt in her chest.

" _Let's drop off your friends."_ Her uncle said quietly, Luna her head against the window. " _And then get you home."_

Luna nodded, curling up in her seat. Crying in the privacy of her own room sounded like a great idea.

* * *

 **Hey everyone. I know it's been a while, sorry about that really. Anyway, this chapter took a while cause I spent some time researching a lot of stuff. And yeah, Luna has an Arabic name. The story has gone through a lot of changes since my old fic, and this was one of them. Hope you guys enjoyed the update! Please review! Also to BoredBuneary who reviewed the other day. Your review was really sweet and gave me the motivation I needed to finish up the chapter. So yeah, tell me what you think guys!**


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